Guest guest Posted November 25, 2008 Report Share Posted November 25, 2008 Now that legislators are not worried about getting elected (at least not in the short term) they should be turning their attention to the state's budget woes...We are not likely to be successful in our quest for increased funding via grants, but, anything that brings in Medicaid matching dollars might be attractive to decision makers and anything that reduces cost, such as down-sizing state operated facilities, might also spark some interest, as long as money saved is put back into community supports and services for individuals with disabilities.. We do have some potential solutions at our finger-tips, most of which are embedded in the ICDD's Blueprint for System Redesign. The time is really right to provide the state legislature with ready solutions. Ellen Ellen Garber Bronfeld egskb@... Illinois is broke Yes, we know Illinois is broken. But it is also broke. Op-ed in the Trib about the state budget deficit ($2.5 billion), and the larger stack of unpaid bills ($4 billion and growing). http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-oped1125byrnenov25,0,4584390.\ story As I said, it's an op-ed, and the writer has strong opinions. Not sure what I think of his ideas, but I think we need to be aware of the numbers here, and of the rules, such as the feds reimburse the state for what's paid by Medicaid...so the state pays the providers, and eventually gets reimbursed by the feds. Our state legislators are definitely thinking about the financial bind the state is in, and when we talk to them about services for adults with DD, they are mentally worrying about where the state will find money for these services. We might get legislators to stop seeing dollar signs over our heads if we can point out to them that there could be savings in the long run, or talk about the service providers who might go out of business because the state is slow to pay (what was the name of the place in the north suburbs that took out a loan while waiting for Medicaid money to arrive, and ended up closing?). The state's financial problems are not pleasant to think about, but we will make a better case for those with DD if we are aware of what the legislators are thinking about. -Gail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 25, 2008 Report Share Posted November 25, 2008 I agree. The blueprint is very practical and examines how changes in structure will actually make the system more cost effective. Regards, " The secret to l'Arche is relationship: meeting people...heart to heart " . Jean Vanier Visit us on the 2nd Thursday of each month! andra Conroy Executive Director and Community Leader L'Arche Chicago 1049 S Austin Blvd Chicago IL 60644 Office:708-795-1273 Home: 773-287-8249 From: ELLEN BRONFELD <egskb@...> Subject: Re: Illinois is broke IPADDUnite Date: Tuesday, November 25, 2008, 2:03 PM Now that legislators are not worried about getting elected (at least not in the short term) they should be turning their attention to the state's budget woes...We are not likely to be successful in our quest for increased funding via grants, but, anything that brings in Medicaid matching dollars might be attractive to decision makers and anything that reduces cost, such as down-sizing state operated facilities, might also spark some interest, as long as money saved is put back into community supports and services for individuals with disabilities. . We do have some potential solutions at our finger-tips, most of which are embedded in the ICDD's Blueprint for System Redesign. The time is really right to provide the state legislature with ready solutions. Ellen Ellen Garber Bronfeld egskbsbcglobal (DOT) net Illinois is broke Yes, we know Illinois is broken. But it is also broke. Op-ed in the Trib about the state budget deficit ($2.5 billion), and the larger stack of unpaid bills ($4 billion and growing). http://www.chicagot ribune.com/ news/nationworld /chi-oped1125byr nenov25,0, 4584390.story As I said, it's an op-ed, and the writer has strong opinions. Not sure what I think of his ideas, but I think we need to be aware of the numbers here, and of the rules, such as the feds reimburse the state for what's paid by Medicaid...so the state pays the providers, and eventually gets reimbursed by the feds. Our state legislators are definitely thinking about the financial bind the state is in, and when we talk to them about services for adults with DD, they are mentally worrying about where the state will find money for these services. We might get legislators to stop seeing dollar signs over our heads if we can point out to them that there could be savings in the long run, or talk about the service providers who might go out of business because the state is slow to pay (what was the name of the place in the north suburbs that took out a loan while waiting for Medicaid money to arrive, and ended up closing?). The state's financial problems are not pleasant to think about, but we will make a better case for those with DD if we are aware of what the legislators are thinking about. -Gail Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted November 25, 2008 Report Share Posted November 25, 2008 Is it possible to get the blueprint from somebody by snail mail? I can't open up files on my computer that are pdf files....or any other kind for that matter. I've had quite a few other things I've needed to open, & nothing with the pdf files will open right. I'm unable to get Adobe Reader & I don't have Microsoft Word. Thanks, Liz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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