ROLLING PROUD by Andrew Levinson

“Down Under” Care

Australia as an example for health care reform in the United States?

Yes, as surprising as it may seem, Australia is taking major steps to reform its long-term care and support system for people with disabilities. A federal policy wonk by the name of Bruce Bonyhady, who has two sons with Cerebral Palsy, has been pushing for a compulsory National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) that would be publicly-financed and would cover people with all kinds of disabilities.

The major problem in Australia is that the “safety-net” for people with disabilities is incomplete. An Australian with a disability does receive financial support in the case of a disability that results from a workplace or motor vehicle accident. However, for other people with disabilities, there is no such security. There is the threat of being institutionalized, if one’s family is unable, both financially and emotionally, to care for the person with a disability.

The NDIS would help to cover the expenses of various areas of daily life, including healthcare, education, and employment. This proposal is being studied by the Australian federal government’s Productivity Commission and recommendations are due in July 2011.

This begs a question: Why are Americans with disabilities stuck with the prospect of the CLASS Act program? The CLASS Act program, as mentioned in a blog by Paula Span of The New York Times is voluntary long-term care legislation that is primarily a middle-class benefit and is meant for disability that may occur down the line. To explain it further, the CLASS Act only provides benefits for those working for five straight years and for those who receive a large enough salary to afford to pay monthly premiums. Lastly, you need to understand that the CLASS Act will only cover a maximum of $100 per day, depending upon the severity of one’s disability.

Yes, that’s right. The CLASS Act would still leave people with disabilities with some expenditures toward long-term care and definitely wouldn’t be enough to cover 24-hour care either.

This would work well for employed, middle-class people, when they retire, for instance, and need some help with daily tasks. However, the CLASS Act does not eliminate the dependence on Medicaid faced by lower-income, younger people who have severe disabilities and, therefore, need immediate care, which they cannot afford on their own. Let’s remember that this dependence on Medicaid forces people with disabilities to impoverish themselves.

It’s time to be honest: As good as it may sound, we’re not all moving to Australia. Also, no one can predict when the next time to make significant changes to our health care system will be, with all of the controversy and money involved in doing so. When health care reform passes this time around, let’s be sure that we, as people with disabilities, can truly celebrate it. We need true long-term care coverage in the United States now.

Five percent-No Excuses!

ThisAbled.com is calling on President Obama to employee people with disabilities at all levels of the Federal Government.  Currently, people with disabilities make-up less than 1 percent of the Federal workforce, this is unacceptable.  We can longer afford to keep the most vulnerable in poverty by denying them jobs and promotions.  America is better than that and we will prove it!

Together, we will send Washington a clear and unequivocal mandate to fix the unemployment problem which faces 54 million people with disabilities.  We will not, we cannot and we must not take the same lame excuses that we have for decades.  The Clinton Era promise of 100,000 new jobs for people with disabilities was a cruel hoax perpetrated on a community of people who have no choice but to believe in promises made by government.   During the rolling economic times of the Clinton Presidency, Executive Order 13163 went into effect.  It called for 100,000 new hires by the year 2005 today Disabled employees represent 0.92 percent of the federal workforce, a decrease of nearly 15 percent since 1997.  

The Ticket to Work Act of 1999, also signed by President Clinton has been a serious disappointment to people with disabilities wishing to work.  The saving grace of the Act may be the Medicaid Buy-In program which has allowed thousands of people with disabilities, to receive medical benefits while working.  These, programs are run through a States’ Medicaid Agency and may go by different names in different States.  For a list of Buy-In States go to http://www.nchsd.org/links/index.asp?c=39 and click on your State.

One would suppose that the unfulfilled promise of 100,000 jobs by Uncle Sam was a kick in the gut.  However, what really leaves a bitter taste in the mouths of many Americans is the money and effort expended by the Federal and State government to “get people employed”.  For example, in 2001 “The Social Security Administration (SSA) awarded MAXIMUS a $56.4 million nationwide contract to provide Program Management services for the Ticket-to-Work and Self-Sufficiency Program. (Maximus Website).

The five-year contract would make MAXIMUS the Program Manager for the Ticket-to-Work Program. They would be responsible for recruitment and management of nationwide employment networks anticipated to be in excess of 4,500.  In addition, they would coordinate services to 13 million Ticket recipients over the next five years; assistance to SSA in processing payments to employment networks; and operation of a national call center.  In reality, more people with disabilities were working before this contract than after it.  MAXIMUS, like most huge conglomerates never got it.   Therefore, no jobs were really ever created.  Here is a thought, contract someone to get 100,000 people hired into the Federal system, then move on from there.

Everyone has heard of all the new jobs that will be created under an Obama Administration; well we want 5 percent of at least the Federal workforce to be people with disabilities.  The Federal workforce is under the direct control of the President.  54 million people with disabilities have waited too long and cannot afford to wait another year.

What can we do this year?

Sign and Share our Petition to President Obama.  Simply copy the text below and email it to friends, family, colleagues or post it on websites and social network sites, Facebook and My Space.

Five percent-No Excuses!

The Second part of 2009 efforts on behalf of people with disabilities has begun. Here is the www.thisabled.com petition to President Obama to increase the number of Federal employees with disabilities by five percent. We ask that you sign it and forward to others as well as share.

http://www.petitiononline.com/Thisable/petition.html

Petition Text

We call on President of the United States Barrack Obama to employee people with disabilities at all levels of the Federal Government.  Currently people with disabilities make-up less than 1 percent of the Federal workforce, this is unacceptable.  We can longer afford to keep the most vulnerable in poverty by denying them jobs.  America is better than that and we will prove it!

Five percent of Federal workforce to be people with disabilities by 2013, no excuses!

Together, we will send Washington a clear and unequivocal mandate to fix the unemployment problem which faces 54 million people with disabilities.  We will not, we cannot and we must not take the same lame excuses, we have for decades.  Five percent-No Excuses!

Sign the petition at:  http://www.petitiononline.com/Thisable/petition.html