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MiCASSA
MiCASSA Alerts
Medicaid Community Attendant Services and Supports Act (MiCASSA) UPDATE(S) MiCASSA Bill
A Summary of MiCASSA
Questions and Answers about MiCASSA
Current Supporters of MiCASSA
MiCASSA Supporter Form
MiCASSA Talking Points
Principles of MiCASSA
MiCASSA Stalled!
Contact these Senators today and urge to them to have a hearing on MiCASSA, Money Follows the Person and the institutional bias in the Medicaid program. (Senator Grassley is the Chair of the Senate Finance Committee, Senator Baccus is the top democrat on the Committee).
Please contact these Senators now before you forget.
The Honorable Charles E. Grassley
United States Senate
135 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-1501
Phone: 202-224-3744
Fax: 202-224-6020
http://grassley.senate.gov/webform.htmThe Honorable Max Baucus
United States Senate
511 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-2602
Phone: 202-224-2651
Fax: 202-224-4700
http://baucus.senate.gov/emailmax.htmlA sample letter you can use as is or with your own words added. This one is well under the 10,000 character limit required for email submissions.
Sample Letter for urging senators to hold hearings on MiCASSA
Dear Senator
I am writing to urge you to have a hearing on MiCASSA, Money Follows the Person and the institutional bias in the Medicaid program.
For decades, people with disabilities, both old and young, have wanted alternatives to nursing homes and other institutions when they need long term services. Our long term care system has a heavy institutional bias. Every state that receives Medicaid MUST provide nursing home services, but community based services are optional. Seventy five percent of Medicaid long term care dollars pay for institutional services, while the remaining 25% must cover all the community based waivers, optional programs, etc.
Families are in crisis. When support services are needed there are no real choices in the community. Whether a child is born with a disability, an adult has a traumatic injury or a person becomes disabled through the aging process, they overwhelmingly want their attendant services provided in their own homes, not nursing homes or other large institutions. People with disabilities and their families will no longer tolerate being forced into selecting institutions. It's time for Real Choice.
ADAPT has drafted a bill which will fundamentally change our long term care system and institutional bias that now exists. Instead people with disabilities and their families will be able to choose where and how they receive services.
MiCASSA, the Medicaid Community Attendant Services and Supports Act, is that alternative. Instead of making a new entitlement, MiCASSA makes the existing entitlement more flexible.
MiCASSA establishes a national program of community-based attendant services and supports for people with disabilities, regardless of age or disability. This bill would allow the dollars to follow the person, and allow eligible individuals, or their representatives, to choose where they would receive services and supports. Any individual who is entitled to nursing home or other institutional services will now have the choice where and how these services are provided. The two million Americans currently residing in nursing homes and other institutions would finally have a choice.
Respectfully,
(put your name here)
Why MiCASSA?
For decades, people with disabilities, both old and young, have wanted alternatives to nursing homes and other institutions when they need long term services. Our long term care system has a heavy institutional bias. Every state that receives Medicaid MUST provide nursing home services, but community based services are optional. Seventy five percent of Medicaid long term care dollars pay for institutional services, while the remaining 25% must cover all the community based waivers, optional programs, etc.
Families are in crisis. When support services are needed there are no real choices in the community. Whether a child is born with a disability, an adult has a traumatic injury or a person becomes disabled through the aging process, they overwhelmingly want their attendant services provided in their own homes, not nursing homes or other large institutions. People with disabilities and their families will no longer tolerate being forced into selecting institutions. It's time for Real Choice.
ADAPT has drafted a bill which will fundamentally change our long term care system and institutional bias that now exists. Instead people with disabilities and their families will be able to choose where and how they receive services.
MiCASSA, the Medicaid Community Attendant Services and Supports Act, is that alternative! Instead of making a new entitlement, MiCASSA makes the existing entitlement more flexible.
MiCASSA establishes a national program of community-based attendant services and supports for people with disabilities, regardless of age or disability. This bill would allow the dollars to follow the person, and allow eligible individuals, or their representatives, to choose where they would receive services and supports. Any individual who is entitled to nursing home or other institutional services will now have the choice where and how these services are provided. The two million Americans currently residing in nursing homes and other institutions would finally have a choice. (source: http://www.adapt.org/casaintr.htmn )Get involved people. You or someone you love might benefit from this piece of legislation. This is important.
Check out S. 971, the Medicaid Community Attendant Services and Supports Act introduced 5/1/03 (MiCASSA)
Current Action on S. 971 listed on http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d108:s.00971:
Current Status of MiCASSA
Do something now before you become disabled and end up without any options and are locked in a nursing home!