Michigan Disability Resistance

Senators reach tentative deal on ObamaCare insurer payments

So, what are the compromises?????

The president said that he could support the deal, but argued an executive order he issued last week designed to change insurance markets represented a better path forward on health care.

Democrats were more positive, though Murray told reporters that there were a few "irons" to work out, suggesting the deal may not be completely final.

Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he was "pleased" with the deal and urged Republican leaders to take it up as soon as possible. He said the measure includes "anti-sabotage" measures, an apparent reference to restoring the outreach funding.

Even with Trump's support, it's not entirely clear that a deal negotiated by Alexander and Murray can get through Congress.

When Republicans in the Senate made a last-ditch effort to repeal ObamaCare in September, the Alexander-Murray talks were cut off, with some GOP senators saying their bipartisan efforts would go nowhere in the House.

The chairman of the conservative Republican Study Committee caucus quickly criticized the deal, arguing it would "prop up" the existing health-care law.

"Anything propping it up is only saving what Republicans promised to dismantle," said Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.), the caucus chairman.

The deal would restore $106 million in ObamaCare outreach funding that was cut by President Trump, according to a Democratic aide.

Pa. insurance department says Obamacare rates to rise 30.6 percent

https://goo.gl/y5Jpzz

Pennsylvania insurers offering Obamacare plans will need to raise premiums an average 30.6 percent in 2018, nearly four times the increase that had been anticipated before President Donald Trump scrapped government subsidiesfive days ago.

The new numbers come from the state Insurance Department, which on Monday released the rate hikes that it had approved after calculating the impact of the president’s move.

Earlier this year, the Pennsylvania Insurance Department had projected an average 7.6 percent rate hike for individual health insurance plans purchased through the Affordable Care Act’s government exchange in this state.

Acting Commissioner Jessica Altman said she was disappointed by the news. “It is with great regret that I must announce approved rates that are substantially higher than what companies initially requested,” Ms. Altman said in a prepared statement.

Do You (or Someone You Know) Benefit from Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services?

https://goo.gl/fisyt8

What We Need

In order to strengthen our message with federal officials, we need to share REAL stories, YOUR stories. Tell us about how you — as a person who receives HCBS services, a family member, friend or service provider — have seen an improved quality of life, more independence, and more opportunities because of Medicaid HCBS. Tell us about life in the community and about how you or someone you know appreciates being able to live outside of a nursing home.

How We Will Use Your Stories

We will use these stories to advocate for strong implementation of HCBS rules and for continued federal HCBS funding. People in federal leadership positions must hear how older Americans depend on and appreciate Medicaid HCBS.

How to Weigh In

Please send your story (500 words or less) and a photo (optional) to hcbsadvocacy@gmail.com. Tell us what state you live in, whether you/your family member/friend/client receive HCBS for aging or disability services, what types of services you receive (help with work, getting dressed, shopping, etc.), how it has improved your/their quality of life, and anything else you want to share about the value of HCBS.

The Conundrum of Consent, Care, and Disability

https://goo.gl/nk1Uw9

When I was in my twenties, I used to joke with friends that well over 200 people had seen me naked:

“It’s like I’m a stripper, but without the dollars in my G-string, collagen- injected body, thumping music, sticky stage, fawning audience, strobe lights, drugs and alcohol, steak and shrimp buffet, glitter…”

I’m being hyperbolical. Sometimes when I’m stripped down glitter hits the floor. Don’t ask.

I’ve met strangers while sitting on the toilet using the bathroom.

“Hey, Emily! This is _____. My shift is ending and she’s going to take you off the toilet.”

I stick out my hand for a fist bump or handshake in an introductory greeting.

“Nice to meet you,” We smile at one another. “Oh, and by the way, it’s the second day of my period. My pads are in the cupboard on the left.”

Every single day of my life I’m seen and touched in intimate ways without giving explicit consent. It’s a quid pro quo, a tit for a tat, an unspoken acceptance that if I want to get out of bed, use the bathroom, get dressed, and go to work to earn a paycheck that I must, in return, sacrifice my privacy and often my dignity.

Don’t wanna die in a nursing home? Prepare to talk your way out.

https://goo.gl/f8Vp5A

Disability Acronyms Lesson 1

Imagine for a second that one day you will eventually acquire a life-changing disability, like 90% of everyone who lives until old age.

Maybe you fall and break your hip, physically deteriorating from there. Maybe you get into a car wreck and find yourself hospitalized with a spinal cord injury. Maybe you develop a late onset case of Multiple Sclerosis or ALS, which leaves you unable to care for yourself independently. No matter what the cause though, as an American, there will be a time in your future when you will most likely face a decent chance of ending up institutionalized in a nursing home. When that time comes, you will encounter your first human services worker who will sit down next to you to assess your situation and determine based on your available resources, as well as support system, where you will best be able to live out your life.

It is during this time that you’ll wish you paid more attention to acquaintances you’ve known in various circles who live with disabilities or who have cared for loved ones with disabilities. Just imagine if you said the following to your case manager:

I’m a big believer in the IL Philosophy and feel that since ADLs are my only barrier to living in my own home that I should have a PCA through CDS. Don’t you agree?