JCDS Update on Managed Care

Your Monday Morning Update:

 

Before I head out to the bakery to buy the Crowne Plaza hotel workers a plate of cookies, I wanted to share that I was overwhelmed with the outpouring of your support at the Town Hall meeting Tuesday night.  We’d estimated that perhaps 50 folks would join us and thrilled to have to relocate to Ballroom “A” and eventually opening the door to “B” with close to 300 folks in attendance. Quite the hustle and bustle!

 

NOTE TO SELF-Make it a BIG plate of cookies!

 

Attendees went home energized and ready to fight for sons, daughters, loved ones, clients, staff and jobs.

 

Here are some key advocacy techniques that were discussed:  

 

1-      Write letters to the Governor, Lt. Governor and your legislators

2-      Make phone calls to the above

3-      Send emails through www.invisiblekansans.com website

4-      Write a Letter to the Editor

5-      Rally the Troops (you all have friends, family and neighbors who care about you and could help).

6-      Repeat steps 1 – 5!

 

I’ve had a few folks ask for a sample letter.  A very-involved parent copied me on one that she’d written to the Governor and the Lt. Governor and agreed to let me share it with you.  

Dear Lieutenant Governor Colyer:

 

As the parent of a young man with autism I am writing to urge you to block the inclusion of people with developmental disabilities (DD) into the new managed care proposal for individuals receiving Medicaid in the state of Kansas.  I hope that you personally will read this letter.

 

I understand that requests for bids have been sent to several insurance companies, all out-of-state, to take over management of all Medicaid services in Kansas.  I also understand that the goal is to save the state money on payments for services to these recipients.  The problem is that in the case of our DD population, the state will probably not save money at all.  Our folk do not usually need hospitalization, and when they do, the agencies providing services supply staff to support the person in hospital, at no additional cost to the state.   The major medical needs for people with DD are medications, which are administered on-site where they live and work, again at no additional expense.  Programs for people with DD are significantly different from other Medicaid programs such as aging.  The nursing home model does not fit our population.

 

Most important to us families is the potential loss of case managers who know our children and are close at hand to resolve emergencies.  As well, these insurance companies have little experience with the type of long term support services our folk need, and we fear they will provide inadequate resources to fill their needs.

 

You cite the success of other states in reducing costs for DD care.  This is not the real story.  The four states who have tried managed care have reduced spending by closing institutions.  Kansas has already done that.  I sit on the boards of Johnson County Developmental Supports and Lakemary Center, and I can state with confidence that these providers have very lean budgets and rely on donations to supplement services.  There is no fat to cut. 

 

The proposals to these insurance companies offer a 3-5% incentive to minimize costs.  In essence this would siphon off up to $100 million to a for-profit company located in another state.  The only way for the insurance company to receive this incentive would be if it reduced services to people with disabilities.

 

I am asking you to request a carve-out of DD services from the managed care proposal.  The insurance companies are not equipped to manage these services and will harm our folk with disabilities.

 

Please feel free to contact me if you care to discuss my request.

______________________________________________________________________________

 

This parent also called the Governor/Lt. Governor’s offices to request that they personally read her letter.  Staffers hummed and hawed and said they’d put it in the stack with the others (typically, employees tally the letters by topic and stance and give the count to the addressee.)  This parent wouldn’t take “no” for an answer and got the staffers to agree to make sure that the letters were personally read. 

 

Talk about spunk! I’ll bet my bottom dollar that she will do the exact same thing a few more times hoping that her persistence pays off.

 

To assist you, I’ve attached a document with “talking points” to help you mold your message.  We’ll be sending out hints, tips and techniques very soon.  Feel free to send me your ideas and I’ll be glad to share.

 

Thank you again for your dedication to this effort.  Let’s get out there and do something remarkable!

 

Warm regards,