Transportation, Health Care Top CCD’s 2007
Agenda
by MN-CCD Staff
As the 2007 legislative session
begins, the Minnesota Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (MN-CCD)
is set to propose a number of bills addressing key issues apparent
in the lives of Minnesotans with disabilities.
Changes are needed. MN-CCD heard
this over and over at last summer’s
town hall forums. We also heard it at the polls in November. We heard
that prescription drug costs have skyrocketed under Medicare Part
D. We heard that seven counties in Minnesota do not offer accessible
transportation and, since recent decreases in operating hours, it
is difficult for people with disabilities to attend jobs or evening
events. We heard that people with disabilities struggle to live off
a meager income that is below the federal poverty guideline in order
to qualify for Medical Assistance
MN-CCD is geared to act as a unified voice and use its resources
to make changes possible. A broad-based coalition of 100 organizations
of persons with disabilities, providers and advocates, MN-CCD is
dedicated to addressing public policy issues that affect people with
disabilities.
In order to strategize and correctly identify the key issues to
propose in the 2007 legislative session, the MN-CCD developed a number
of committees. Each committee presented position papers covering
its major topic area. From these position papers, the coalition collaborated
on which proposals to push to the agenda for the 2007 session. Five
key proposals emerged for the 2007 Legislative Session:
• Transportation—Develop
a transit plan to ensure services for people with disabilities
for at least 14 hours per day in all 87 counties by 2010.
• Medicare—Seek state
assistance for people enrolled in Medicare Part D who pay large
out-of-pocket prescription drug costs.
• Medical Assistance—Increase
the income and asset limits for Minnesotans enrolled in Medical
Assistance.
• Employment—Ensure adequate
funding for vocational rehabilitation services for people with
disabilities who may need to change careers.
• Family Caregivers—Develop
training and support programs for family caregivers and create
a family caregiver tax credit for families who provide a large
portion of the care needs for people with disabilities.
The first two issues the MN-CCD will push in 2007 are transportation
and Medicare Part D.
Transportation
Transit opportunities
are very limited for many people in greater Minnesota. Seven counties
lack any type of public transit system accessible for people with
disabilities. Other counties have service but the hours of operation
are limited. For example, service ends in many communities by 5:00
p.m., preventing people with disabilities from attending evening
functions or jobs.
In the Twin Cities, service hours are based on the geographic proximity
to Minneapolis and St. Paul. In these core cities, Metro Mobility
is available 24 hours a day. Generally, service hours become more
limited the farther away people live from the Twin Cities. A new
2006 Minnesota law locks in the current Metro Mobility service area
but does not establish a state guide for minimum hours of service.
Medicare Part D
Since the program
began in January 2006, a common complaint has been the high cost
of prescription drugs for people enrolled in the plan. The complaints
are related to two aspects of the Medicare Part D plan: problems
for those who are dual-eligible and problems for people not qualifying
for low-income subsidy.
For people enrolled in both the Medicare
and Medical Assistance programs (“dual-eligibles”),
the $12/month cap on co-pays cap was eliminated Jan. 1, 2006. The
MN-CCD has heard a number of stories of people having to pay $40
to $50 in drug co-pays while attempting to live on approximately
$600 per month.
Another challenge is out-of-pocket
prescription drug costs for Medicare enrollees with MS who don’t
qualify for the low-income subsidy. The MN-CCD has heard from many
people who didn’t qualify for
the low-income subsidy but were left with less money at the end of
the year than people who did qualify for the subsidy, simply because
the high out-of-pocket costs. For example, if someone in this group
is prescribed a disease-modifying prescription drug, they could pay
more than $4,000 per year if they are enrolled in Medicare. ![]()
To learn more about
Medicaid/MA issue, attend any of the MN-CCD Town Hall Forums in
January (see box below). Individuals and families will be able
to tell their personal stories, and both legislators and the community
will be able to discuss challenges and solutions for the future
of Medicaid and other issues affecting the disability community.
FFI: Jessica Herrgott, 612-335-7966, jherrgott@mssociety.org.
Minnesota Consortium for Citizens With Disabilities
January Town Hall Forums
Brooklyn Center
Wednesday, January 17th
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Brookdale Library
6125 Shingle Creek Pkwy
Host: The Metropolitan Center for Independent Living
Contact: Mike Chevrette, mikec@mcil-mn.org
651-603-2005
Eden Prairie
Thursday, January
18th
7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Eden Prairie City Council Chambers
8080 Mitchell Road
Host: Arc Greater Twin Cities
Contact: Gene Martinez, genemartinez@arcgreatertwincities.org 952-920-0855
St. Paul
Tuesday, January 23rd
5:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Bethesda Hospital
7th Floor Conference Room
559 Capitol Blvd.
Host: The Bethesda Brain Injury Support Group, Advocating Change
Together & the Brain Injury Assoc of MN
Contact: Jeff Nachbar,
jeffn@braininjurymn.org
612-238-3233
White Bear Lake
Wednesday,
January 24th
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Dellwood Hills Golf Club
29 Highway 96 East
Host: The Multiple Sclerosis Society, Minnesota Chapter
Contact: Jessica Herrgott, jherrgott@mssociety.org 612-335-7966
Golden Valley
Thursday, January
25th
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Courage Center
3915 Golden Valley Road
Host: The Courage Center
Contact: Christian Knights, christian.knights@courage.org 763-520-0725
Minneapolis
Monday, January
29th
6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Sabathani Community Center
310 E 38th Street
Host: Southside Community Health Services & the Brain Injury
Association of MN
Contact: Jeff Nachbar, jeffn@braininjurymn.org 612-238-3233
