Advocacy and Public Policy
Update on Community Based Care
Olmstead is the name of a 1999 United States Supreme Court decision that held that persons with disabilities have the right to receive publicly funded services and supports “in the most integrated setting appropriate to their needs.” UCP Michigan is working with the Michigan Olmstead Coalition to urge the State of Michigan to adopt a plan to fully implement Olmstead and make Community-Based Long Term Care available to everyone who needs it.
The annual budget for publicly-funded Long Term Care in Michigan is $1.6 Billion. Most of that goes to nursing homes goes to pay for nursing home care. Currently, 42,000 people receive publicly-funded nursing home care at an annual cost of $1.2 billion.
In contrast, the options for community-based care are very limited. The Adult Home Help program and the MI Choice Home and Community-Based Waiver program provide critical services to people with disabilities to enable them to live in their communities. The Home Help program provides personal care and assistance with daily living activities such as housekeeping, laundry, meal preparation, and shopping. The Home Help program provides care for 50,000 people with disabilities at an annual cost of $177 million. The MI-Choice Waiver provides a range of similar services to people with disabilities and people who are elderly and need a nursing home level of care. The waiver cost is capitated at $42 per person per day. More than 58,000 people receive services from these programs, which have a combined budget of approximately $277 million. Without these services, many of these individuals would have
to live in a Medicaid-funded nursing home at a much greater cost.
United Cerebral Palsy is working with the Michigan Olmstead Coalition to advocate for increased availability of home and community-based care options so that people can exercise choice. For more information about The Michigan Olmstead Coalition, please contact United Cerebral Palsy of Michigan at 800-828-2714.
April, 2006
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