skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, September 19, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

U.S. gender wage gap grows for first time in a decade; Trump has embraced NC's Mark Robinson, calling him 'Martin Luther King on steroids'; Volunteers sought as early voting kicks off in MN; Women's political contributions in congressional races fall short of men's.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rising threats of political violence, a Federal Reserve rate cut, crypto industry campaign contributions and reproductive rights are shaping today's political landscape.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A USDA report shows a widening gap in rural versus urban health, a North Carolina county remains divided over a LGBTQ library display, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz' policies are spotlighted after his elevation to the Democratic presidential ticket.

AHCA Could End Home-, Community-Based Care for Thousands in CT

play audio
Play

Friday, May 19, 2017   

HARTFORD, Conn. – The GOP health bill now in the U.S. Senate would be especially harmful to seniors and people with disabilities, according to a new report.

With the per-capita cap on Medicaid spending that would be imposed under the American Health Care Act, states would be forced to make cuts.

And, according to Judy Solomon, the vice president for health care policy at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Home- and Community-Based Services (HCBS), which allow seniors and people with disabilities to get the care they need in their homes, would be at the top of the list.

"Most HCBS are what Medicaid considers 'optional' services - in other words, states don't have to provide them, in contrast to care in a nursing home, which is mandatory and states must provide," she explains.

The report says in Connecticut, more than 55,000 people participate in HCBS, and capping Medicaid could force many into much more expensive nursing homes or institutional care.

Marty Ford, the senior executive officer for public policy of the Arc, says the impact of a cap on Medicaid would be devastating for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

She claims it would undo decades of work by states to move people out of institutions and into the community, as federal law requires.

"It would be a major step backward and a violation of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Olmstead," she says. And based on the Americans with Disabilities Act, unnecessary segregation is discrimination.

In some states, people with disabilities already spend eight to 10 years on waiting lists for home- and community-based services.

David Certner, legislative policy director for AARP notes that seniors and people with disabilities now account for 60-percent of Medicaid spending.

He says caps would shift costs to states, state taxpayers and to families who can't afford to pay for care without this additional support.

"The end result would be dramatic cuts to program eligibility, program services, or both, ultimately harming some of our nation's most vulnerable citizens," Certner says.

Nationally, nearly three million people rely on HCBS to receive care at home instead of nursing homes or other institutions.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
Recipients of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Grant can now access funding to drive financing for thousands of climate-focused and clean energy initiatives. (bilanol/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Michigan's most vulnerable communities are receiving federal funding to fight the devastating effects of climate change. It's part of the $27 billion …


Health and Wellness

play sound

September is Health Literacy Month, and a Denver-based group is working to help health professionals break a persistent pattern of discrimination …

Environment

play sound

A new report contends fossil fuel funding has biased Columbia University's climate research. The report, by two Columbia students, shows the …


Alabama releases roughly 220,279 men and 78,247 women from its prisons and jails each year. (Chad Robertson/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

An Alabama woman is on a mission to help people who've been incarcerated for decades successfully transition back into society. The mission to …

Health and Wellness

play sound

In North Carolina, the gap between Medicaid reimbursement rates and the actual cost of dental care has reached a crisis point, impacting both …

So far in 2024, community health centers in North Dakota have screened 11,580 patients for food insecurity. Through those screenings, more than three thousand box meals have been distributed. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

September is Hunger Action Month. In North Dakota, it isn't just food banks trying to help underserved populations get nutritious items. Health …

Environment

play sound

Marine biologists conducting deep dives near five California islands are collecting data they hope will strengthen the case for ending gillnet fishing…

Environment

play sound

Researchers at Iowa State University are taking aim at the huge amount of energy used by data centers, now and in the future. They have developed a …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021