◊ JOB MATCH
 

March 31, 2005

Sam and Ginny Gattlieb of Sissonville are scared about what proposed Medicaid cuts could do to their son and 3,000 West Virginia families like theirs.

That's why they joined more that 100 people with disabilities, family members and advocates to rally at the State Capitol on Wednesday. Their message to the Manchin administration: Save our services.

"Do not make these devastating changes that will hurt our son and many others like him," Sam Gattlieb told the crowd.

Eric Gattlieb, 20, is blind, autistic, and has fragile health. But thanks to Medicaid services for people with disabilities, he lives at home with his parents and is active in his synagogue, the YMCA and the rest of the community.

The Gattliebs could never afford to pay for those services on their middle-class income.

But there's a double-whammy of Medicaid cuts coming to West Virginia next year. President Bush is proposing cuts to reduce the deficit, and the former $3 to $1 federal/state match is being reduced, too.

That means $150 million less in the medical program next year, state officials are saying. The elderly, children and disabled make up almost everyone in Medicaid.

At one point, a draft document from the state Department of Health and Human Resources was posted on the Web showing an elimination of funding for many disabled parents, Gattlieb said. That draft was later taken off the Web and state officials said it was a mistake, he said.

Those cuts would have taken away the money some parents receive to keep their disabled kids at home -- a Medicaid "waiver program." Parents are paid a modest stipend in exchange for working six hours a day with their children doing therapy.

Another cut would have hurt mileage reimbursement that helps disabled people make it to doctor's appointments, shopping, school and work.

Some parents would lose their children and their homes if the cuts went through, Gattlieb said. The children would end up in foster homes and nursing homes -- a much more expensive alternative in the long run.

Disability advocates said the state needs to find other places to cut besides programs that keep people in their homes.

For example, it costs $30 for an ambulance, but only $3 for a cab, yet Medicaid won't reimburse participants for the cab ride, said David Stewart, chairman of the Fair Shake Network, a disability advocacy group.

Also, some people with disabilities are receiving therapies and services they may not want or need, he said, but state rules make them take everything if they want to get anything.

"We've got to figure out ways to cut the waste," Stewart said.

Another problem is federal Medicaid regulations favor nursing homes over in-home care, Stewart said. But state officials could ask for a waiver, he said.

If they're not careful, lawmakers and state officials could run afoul of several recent court decisions involving people with disabilities.

The Olmstead decision from the U.S. Supreme Court requires states to help disabled people stay in the least restrictive environment, such as their homes instead of a nursing home.

A recent federal case has an even more direct impact. Benjamin H. requires the state to provide services to mentally retarded or developmentally delayed people within 90 days of qualifying. Already, residents are waiting for six months or longer for services, in violation of the court order, Stewart said.

To contact staff writer Scott Finn, use e-mail or call 357-4323.

~*~  Contributions are NOT (yet) tax deductible.  ~*~

++  PRIVACY STATEMENT  ++

MRU WV will never share its members' personally-identifiable information (name, address, phone, or e-mail address) with any outside person or organization without express consent.

This page last updated Friday 17 June 2005