The Question
What have you done—and
what will you do in Congress—to safeguard and expand the rights,
services and community participation of people with disabilities
in Minnesota?
Ellison's Response
Ensuring equal access to opportunity in our country is an essential
part of my platform. We all count and we all matter. Our ability
to meet the challenges of the future depends on our willingness to
cultivate all our people, including those living with disabilities.
I am fully aware that people living with disabilities do not want
special access, they want equal access. To this end the policies
I have and will advocate for reflect this desire to be able to fully
participate on an equal basis with the rest of society.
For example, when I was in the state House I was a co-author on
HF 980, which expanded and provided significant funding for programs
serving persons with disabilities, and was the most significant piece
of disability legislation in the last two years. Among its many provisions,
this bill increased the asset limit for Medical Assistance (MA) eligibility
for disabled persons from $3,000 to $10,000 for a single person and
from $6,000 to $18,000 for a household of two or more.
Currently about 15 percent of the Fifth Congressional District is
living with a disability. Many of these members are struggling with
administrative logjams that are preventing them from receiving technology
assistance, having their Supplemental Security Income and State Disability
Insurance claims heard, and are eating up valuable time.
As a member of Congress I
will be a strong advocate for streamlining the administrative procedure
in processing these claims. Part of this streamlining will consist
of assigning an individual case worker to each claim, who will see
a patient through from beginning to end. Bureaucratic red-tape should
not be such an impediment to receiving benefits.
I am also aware that I will be representing not just my district,
but the entire state as well. For this reason I am very concerned
about the state-wide transportation predicament faced by a great
number of people with disabilities. I believe we need more funding
for accessible transportation throughout the state so that people
with disabilities can live wherever they choose. Without this funding,
people will continue to fight to maintain their independence.
Another issue of grave concern for many Americans, including those
living with disabilities, is the current state of Medicare and Medicaid.
The health care proposal I would advocate would reduce premiums,
particularly those related to Part D, by allowing Medicare to negotiate
with pharmaceutical companies for lower drug prices. ![]()
