Newsletter

Mark your calendars! Our next statewide meeting is Saturday,June 19, 2004 from 10:30 - 2:30 at the Lake Superior Room, Library of Michigan,717 West Allegan, Lansing, MI. Subsequent meetings will be held on September 18, 2004 in the Lake Superior Room of the Library of Michigan and November 13, 2004 in the Lake Ontario Room of the Library of Michigan at the same time. Please plan to join us!!

CHECK OUT THE CAMPAIGN’S NEW WEB SITE AT WWW.CAMPAIGN FORQUALITY CARE.ORG!! It is jam packed with useful information, links to other important web sites, and news of the Campaign’s activities and successes. Please let us know what you think of it and special thanks to Tina Nasers, the Campaign’s volunteer webmaster!

1.    Governor Appoints Medicaid Long Term Care Task Force: On June 1, 2004, the Governor announced the 21 members of the new Medicaid Long Term Care Task Force. Under the terms of the settlement agreement in the Eager v. Engler lawsuit (in which the Campaign was a plaintiff), the Task Force is required to have seven consumer members or advocates, seven providers, and seven state officials or legislators. The following individuals have been appointed to the Task Force (consumer advocates are listed in bold print):

Wardeh (Rose) Alcodray-Khalifa, Oakwood Healthcare, Inc./Amer-Arab Nurse Assn.

Gerald Betters, Pinecrest Medical Care Facility

Reginald Carter, Health Care Association of Michigan

State Senator Deborah Cherry (D-Burton)

Thomas Czerwinski, Area Agency on Aging of Western Michigan

State Representative Matthew Gillard (D-Alpena)

Sharon Gire, Director of the Office of Services to the Aging

State Senator Beverly Hammerstrom (R-Temperance)

Martin Hardy, Greater Grace Temple

Yolanda McKinney, Caring Hearts Home Care

Marsha Moers, Cap Area Center for Independent Living

Janet Olszewski, Director of the Michigan Department of Community Health

State Representative Rick Shaffer (R-Three Rivers)

Marianne Udow, Director of the Family Independence Agency

The Task Force is charged with reviewing the efficiency and effectiveness and quality of Medicaid long-term care services in Michigan; making recommendations for improving and expanding home-based and community-based long-term care services; assessing the adequacy of state and federal Medicaid funding; and making recommendations to create a sensible continuum of long term care in the state.

The task force is required to issue an interim report on its activities, including preliminary recommendations, by October 1, 2004, and must issue a final report no later than April 1, 2005. Governor Granholm stated upon creating the Task Force that, "The Michigan Medicaid Long Term Care (LTC) task force will set short-terms goals for the next three to five years and develop long-term solutions for the next two decades," She added, "The work of this task force will be vitally important as we seek to improve community-based care for seniors, eliminate unnecessary regulatory barriers, and lessen the enormous pressure on the state’s Medicaid budget."

While no Campaign members were appointed to the Task Force, the Campaign intends to work very closely with our many friends on this influential and important Task Force and ensure our views, concerns, and recommendations are shared with them.

2.    State limits cuts to Home Help program but still puts some consumers at risk: After negotiations over a period of months with advocates including members of the Campaign, the Granholm Administration has once again agreed to revise proposed cuts to the Home Help program to limit the harm to consumers, but it is mandating some reductions in service. This vital and successful program allows low income people with disabilities to hire help to assist them with activities like bathing, dressing, eating, housekeeping, shopping, and laundry. Home Help has been considered a model program with very high consumer satisfaction and was targeted by the Granholm Administration simply because of enormous shortfalls in the state Medicaid budget.

Under the state’s final policy which will become effective July 1, 2004, Home Help recipients will be limited to five hours per month help with shopping, six hours per month help with light housekeeping, seven hours per month help with laundry, and 25 hours per month with meal preparation. No exceptions will be granted regardless of the circumstances of the client. Advocates believe these rigid caps on services–which represent cuts in service to the vast majority of Home Help consumers-- will mean that some consumers may not be able to continue living independently and that the health and safety of some individuals will be jeopardized. For example, individuals who are incontinent may need more than the seven hour limit per month of help with laundry. Consumers who cannot prepare any meals themselves would generally be allotted less than an hour a day for the preparation and clean up of all three meals, even if their dietary needs mandate more time consuming preparation of food. And clients who cannot perform any housecleaning or whose conditions result in special housekeeping challenges will still receive only 6 hours per month in cleaning assistance.

Some advocates are considering suing the state pursuant to the Medicaid Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act to rescind the service cuts or force the state to allow an exceptions process for clients with a compelling need for additional hours of Home Help. The Campaign will discuss whether we want to be involved in any litigation at our next meeting. If you know of a consumer who will be hurt by the cuts in services, contact Alison Hirschel at hirschel@umich.edu or (517) 324-5754.

3.    Tobacco tax legislation passes the Michigan House; passage in the Senate still needed to ensure adequate funding for state Medicaid services: At the end of May, the Michigan House of Representatives passed a version of H.B. 5632 which would raise the tax on tobacco cigarettes from $1.25 to $2.00 per pack and increase the tax on other tobacco products from 20% to 32% of the wholesale price on July 1, 2004. Revenues from the tax would be used to pay for essential Medicaid health care services for low income Michigan residents. The Campaign has pledged its support, along with a multitude of other groups, for this measure because we understand that without it, there will have to be drastic, dangerous, and painful cuts to health care services for Medicaid recipients. Campaign members have spoken to legislators, attended a rally in support of the tax, and continue to advocate for its passage in the Michigan Senate.

Hope to see you on June 19!! And please remember to support the Campaign – our funds for mailings, brochures, and other basic needs are dwindling dangerously low! Contributions can be sent to Michigan Campaign for Quality Care c/o Nadene Mitcham, 34216 Fountain Boulevard, Westland, MI 48185