Missouri Looks to Reduce In Home Services

Bill cutting in-home care moves forward in Missouri Senate

By Michael Bushnell and Rebecca Berg, State Capitol Bureau
April 20, 2010

JEFFERSON CITY - The Missouri Senate advanced a bill Monday that would reduce in-home services for those on the state's Medicaid program, over the objections of some Senators who said it would cut benefits without saving money.

Legislative staff estimated the bill, as written, would save the state $11 million in 2011. Sen. Tom Dempsey, R-St. Charles, who sponsored the bill, said this would be achieved in part by reducing reimbursements to those on Medicaid and allowing the state to privatize its assessments of who is eligible for in-home health care.

Currently, the state's health department is responsible for all assessments.
As of September, 42,827 Missourians on Medicaid received some kind of in-home health care treatment. Dempsey said reducing services is just one step towards balancing the state's budget, a process he said Gov. Jay Nixon made more painful.

For more, see http://www.globe-democrat.com/news/2010/apr/20/bill-cutting-home-care-moves-forward-missouri-sena/.

Home Care Protests in Missouri

From our friend Bob Williams:

Disabled protest state’s proposed cuts in home care
By Virginia Young
Post-Dispatch Jefferson City Bureau

JEFFERSON CITY — People with disabilities and their caregivers came to the Capitol today to protest a budget cut that could make it harder for the disabled to remain in their homes.

On the chopping block: personal care services, which include assistance with meals, dressing and bathing.

Gov. Jay Nixon’s proposed budget would limit personal assistance services that a person can receive under the Medicaid program to 3.5 hours a day, or 60 hours a month. Those with greater needs could appeal for an additional 20 hours a month.

Nixon’s budget counts on $8.6 million in savings — $3.1 million in state funds and $5.5 million in federal funds — from the cutback.

Many people on Medicaid receive more than 60 hours of personal care a month. They say that without the attendant services, they could be forced to move to nursing homes, which are more expensive and would cost the state more than home care.

At a Capitol press conference today, Bob Pund of Columbia, who was paralyzed in an auto accident 20 years ago, said he needs help “in nearly every aspect of my life. Attendants are like oxygen to me.”

Not only is it a safety net, it helps people maintain their dignity and quality of life, others said.



For more, see http://interact.stltoday.com/blogzone/political-fix/political-fix/2010/02/disabled-protest-states-proposed-cuts-in-home-care/