A D A P T |

A D A P T  Action Report |

MiCASSA Talking Points

Our long term care service system must change.

The current system was created over thirty years ago and is funded by Medicare and Medicaid dollars. These are medical dollars which were not originally conceived to meet people's long term care needs. We must think out of the box to a new system that empowers people and allows REAL choices.

The money should follow the individual not the facility or provider. A national long term care service policy should not favor any one setting over the other. It should be neutral, and let the users choose where services will be delivered.

The current system is not neutral. Institutional services command 49.5 billion dollars of Medicaid long term care while only 18.2 billion remains to pay for all the community services. The Current system is expensive and methods to meet the needs of people in the most cost-effective way must be explored.

Community services are less expensive, on average and are much more desirable than institutional services.

Demographics of our country are changing.

• The aging process
• Children are being born with disabilities
• More young adults - Medical technology keeping people alive longer

People with disabilities both old and young, even those with severe mental or physical disabilities want services in the most integrated setting possible. Families must have REAL choice.

People with disabilities and their families want REAL choice:

• Equitable funding opportunities
• No programmatic or rule disincentives to community services
• options for services delivery to include agency, vouchers and fiscal intermediaries. Empower people with disabilities and families.

Family values - Keep families together.

• Communities taking care of their own
• Children belong in families
• Mom and Dad together with their grandkids

Money following the individual can eliminate over burdening rules and regulations by government regulators. A functional system based on need instead of medical diagnosis could end FRAGMENTATION of service delivery system. Keeping people in the community allows the possibility for individuals with disabilities to train for work so they can become TAXPAYERS instead of TAX USERS.

Overwhelmingly people prefer community services to stay in their own home. The federal government needs to work in partnership with the states to create flexible delivery systems that gives people with disabilities REAL choice.

Change causes fear of the unknown. There are some long time providers of services and families who believe REAL choice would threaten what they have. We cannot continue the system as it is today. It is expensive, fragmented, over medicalized and not liked by almost everyone.

There's No Place Like Home!

Return to the MiCASSA Information Index

Get the official ADAPT Free Our People T-Shirt.

T-Shirt Order Form.

ADAPT’s FREE OUR PEOPLE “Songs of Freedom.” 

CD Order Form.

Original artwork from the Free Our People March - By Sher Stewart.

Photos of her work.