When the 2012 Minnesota Legislature gavels into session Jan. 24, the Minnesota Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (MN-CCD) will have its legislative agenda set. Despite cautious optimism about a recently announced $876 million state surplus, members expect a difficult legislative session.
Member organizations’ representative will meet Dec. 14 to set the agenda and choose the organization’s ...
Health
Legislative priorities are being chosen
Explore, prepare for Special Needs Basic Care changes
Beginning Jan. 1 through July 2012 Minnesota adults and children with disabilities receiving Medical Assistance (MA) will be asked to join a Special Needs Basic Care (SNBC) health plan by Department of Human Services (DHS). This is a result of state legislation passed in 2011. The new law provides that people may choose to opt out ...
20 percent cut – Relatives who provide care are focus
Cuts to medical assistance reimbursement rates, made behind closed doors during the 2011 Minnesota Legislature’s July special session are at the center of a lawsuit against the State of Minnesota. The lawsuit was filed Oct. 25 in Ramsey County District Court on behalf of eight home health care agencies, employees and their clients with various ...
Federal survey standards will better measure health care disparities
Federal efforts to collect health care data, including data on people with disabilities, are changing. These changes could ultimately bring improvements in how health care is delivered. The federal Department of Health and Human Services released final standards Oct. 31 to measure race, ethnicity, sex, primary language, and disability status more consistently. This will improve the ...
The little girl and the Great Communicator, years later
Thirty years ago, on Nov. 10, 1981, President Ronald Reagan told a story about an Iowa girl story at a press conference. “We just recently received word of a little girl who has spent most of her life in a hospital. The doctors are of the opinion that if she could be sent home and ...
Editor’s Column – November 2011
By the time you read this, Access Press’s annual banquet will once again have taken place, but we’ll have gone to press a couple days before. I’m very excited to share all that happened with you, but it will have to wait until next month. At last count, we were looking forward to about 200 ...
Lawmakers must support Medicare Part D as it is
AARP recently collected more than 48 pages of signatures from Minnesotans worried that debt concerns and budget cuts will jeopardize Medicare. The petition, urging Congress “to leave Medicare and social security alone,” has now been signed by 1.6 million Americans nationwide. The signatories are right to be concerned. Consider Medicare’s prescription drug benefit, known as Part ...
Regional News in Review – November 2011
Caregivers stage protests Caregivers from Dellwood Place and Bethesda Care Center, two Cerenity nursing homes slated for closure in November, rallied Oct. 12 at Dellwood Place with community supporters from across the Twin Cities to stand up for seniors, the disabled, and long-term care workers. During a week that the Congressional “Super Committee” was expected to discuss ...
Open season change is here for Medicare Part D plans
Medicare beneficiaries who are considering changes to their Medicare Part D plan should mark their calendars for Oct. 15. The “open season” will run from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7. This is a change from 2010 open season, when it was Nov. 15 to Dec. 31. The Medicare Part D prescription drug program is available to ...
Electronic medical records practical for many reasons
The current administration has done its job incentivizing physicians and hospitals to transition from a paper-based system to electronic health records through meaningful use. However, patients have yet to claim their role as the new focus of healthcare and suggest—or even demand—that their physicians adopt electronic technology and offer them greater ownership of their care ...
November 2011 Issue
Do you prefer to read the .pdf on your computer or e-reader? Here's the .pdf copy of the November 2011 issue. Enjoy!
Get your flu shot and have a happier, healthier winter
Who should get a flu shot this fall? According to the CDC, everyone age 6 months and older should get a flu vaccine each year. This recommendation has been in place since February 2010 when CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted for “universal” flu vaccination in the U.S. to expand protection against the ...
Regional News in Review – October 2011
Many must change health plans This fall more than 70,000 Twin Cities residents enrolled in state health insurance programs must choose new plans. This is because a new program at the Minnesota Department of Human Services is being implemented. By putting managed care contracts out for competitive bids, state officials hope to save money in the ...
People and Places – October 2011
Kugler to lead The Arc Minnesota Larry Kugler of Eden Prairie has been appointed President of The Arc Minnesota. Kugler succeeds President Tim Nelson, who died this summer. Kugler said, “I am committed to continuing the priorities that Tim promoted as President. He worked tirelessly for a strong presence of The Arc across the State of Minnesota ...
October 2011 Issue
Here's the .pdf of the October 2011 Issue. Enjoy!
Editor’s Column – September 2011
The Board of Directors of Access Press has selected Jeff Bangsberg as the 2011 Charlie Smith Award recipient. It’s been a real honor for me to have Jeff as a mentor and friend over the years. I look forward to Nov. 4 and the opportunity to honor Jeff and congratulate all the nominees. There were many deserving ...
People and Places – September 2011
Brown is winner of award Nick Brown, owner of Brown’s Lawn Service in Shakopee, is the winner of the 2011 Judd Jacobson Memorial Award. The award will be presented Oct. 5 at a ceremony at Courage Center in Golden Valley. Brown is an enterprising 18-year-old who has been mowing lawns since age 12. That wouldn’t be unusual ...
Town hall forums announced
The Minnesota Consortium for Citizens for Disabilities (MN CCD) hosts a series of town hall forums this fall to explain the various state budget impacts, and to gather information from the public. Policymakers will be on hand to listen to concerns. Weeks after the 2011 special session of the Minnesota Legislature, advocates that serve people with ...
The September 2011 Issue
Here's the .pdf version of the September 2011 Issue. Enjoy!
Health and human services budget has mixed impacts on community
When the 2011 Minnesota Legislature’s special session adjourned July 20, Minnesotans with disabilities and their families faced a dizzying array of changes in the adopted health and human legislation and budget. For the short term, many people will see cuts to services or changes in how services are delivered. Over the long term, Minnesotans can ...
UCare – September 2011 Issue Sponsor
UCare (www.ucare.org) is an independent, nonprofit health plan providing health care coverage plans and administrative services to more than 230,000 members. UCare was created in 1984 by the Department of Family Practice and Community Health at the University of Minnesota Medical School.
Today, UCare partners with health care providers, counties, and community organizations to create and ...
Not in Kansas any more- Challenges created by shutdown, budget decisions
For organizations that serve Minnesotans with disabilities, the historic state shutdown and its aftermath have created a flurry of activities that for some, are far from over. For agencies that had to shut down and then start up, the complications have been many and varied. A few of the complications were unintentionally humorous.
One agency that ...
Minnesota: Budget balancing or a lack of due process? -A historical perspective on past state impasses
During the government shutdown in July, Ramsey County District Court Judge Kathleen Gearin ruled that certain government functions must be provided and paid for even though the Minnesota Legislature and the governor had not agreed on an appropriation act. Years earlier, in a different context, U.S. District Judge Earl Larson issued a similar order in ...
State government shutdown/special session: The end of the end
Here is an overview from Courage Center of the 2011 Minnesota Legislature special session. The end of the longest shutdown in state history and the conclusion to the 2011 legislative session brings some relief. At Courage Center it’s not a return to business as usual. The agency has difficult work ahead to provide clients with the ...
The August 2011 Issue
Here's the entire August 2011 Issue in .pdf format. Enjoy!
Featured Organizations
Twitter Feed
- Jane McClure is looking for folks from Greater Minnesota to interview about how the 2012 Minnesota Legislature's... http://t.co/F3NOgB1o
- Today is Accessibility Day at Target Field - sponsored by UCare and partnered by the Courage Center. If... http://t.co/jwDILaZn
- Posts from Access Press for 05/10/2012 - http://t.co/uBSoBOVc
- Just posted: HHS package signed into law- Many 2011 cuts are restored http://t.co/U96YVhqG