25 signatures reached
To: Senator Marsha Blackburn
Support Disability Rights to work and get lifesaving home healthcare!
Dear Senator,
TennCare (TN's Medicaid) submitted an application to the federal Center for Medicaid Services for creating a Medicaid buy-in program in August 2024 after the legislature unanimously passed a bill instructing the agency to do so. Nearly all other states already have similar programs. Once active, this program will allow Tennesseans with significant disabilities to continue our careers with access to the services we cannot live without. These long-term home care services are not available through any traditional health insurance plans - only Medicaid. Many people are anxiously waiting on this program and experiencing real challenges in the meantime. Such as losing their job, being put in a nursing home (With Medicaid paying the bill), or worse. Can your office please tell the Center for Medicaid Services to stop holding up the routine paperwork? Can you please use your role and your voice to advocate for disability and home heath care? Last year the state of Tennessee scored a grade of D in terms of how the state views, treats, and cares for people with a disability. We are currently in a competition with Alabama and South Carolina to be the worst state in the country in terms of disability and employment. Please be a politician that listens, cares, speaks up, and takes charge. Regardless of ability/disability, each person who is working is a benefit to our country! Thanks for your consideration.
TennCare (TN's Medicaid) submitted an application to the federal Center for Medicaid Services for creating a Medicaid buy-in program in August 2024 after the legislature unanimously passed a bill instructing the agency to do so. Nearly all other states already have similar programs. Once active, this program will allow Tennesseans with significant disabilities to continue our careers with access to the services we cannot live without. These long-term home care services are not available through any traditional health insurance plans - only Medicaid. Many people are anxiously waiting on this program and experiencing real challenges in the meantime. Such as losing their job, being put in a nursing home (With Medicaid paying the bill), or worse. Can your office please tell the Center for Medicaid Services to stop holding up the routine paperwork? Can you please use your role and your voice to advocate for disability and home heath care? Last year the state of Tennessee scored a grade of D in terms of how the state views, treats, and cares for people with a disability. We are currently in a competition with Alabama and South Carolina to be the worst state in the country in terms of disability and employment. Please be a politician that listens, cares, speaks up, and takes charge. Regardless of ability/disability, each person who is working is a benefit to our country! Thanks for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Why is this important?
People with a disability do experience substantial limitations with one or more major life activities. Although we can’t do some daily living things, there are still many things we can do, including working fulltime in carefully chosen career fields. Work is a good thing! For example, when I work on a daily bases I help my community, you , and your loved ones. Plus, I pay taxes when I work so I am also not only paying towards my own program, I am chipping in to help pay your grandparents SSI and only means of income. Also, as a tax payer this is your money and I’m sure if possible you would rather give it while I am giving back.
Then there is the moral reasons, no one should be forced onto the sidelines of life when they can contribute and participate in the community. Great societies care for those that can’t fully care for themselves, and we can’t continue pushing disability into poverty or forcing people to choose between staying alive or a career. Also, we are not advocating for luxury, comfort, or cosmetic services, this is all about critical lifesaving care that is…
- 100% needed to live and only provided year round by Medicaid
- so costly that only the top 5-10% of Americans could afford to pay themselves. Very few Americans after paying there monthly bills and essentials have an extra $4,000-5,000 of disposable income every month in their pocket. Consider your current bills and circumstances, now could you add an additional $50,000-60,000 a year to that? This is not spare change people have lying around!
- not about doctor visits or pharmacy copays or the typical things you need insurance for. We do have those same things to pay as well , but this is all about very costly long term home health support services such as: day to day getting dressed, getting in and out of bed , using the rest room bowel /bladder care, things we literally can’t do nor afford out of pocket
- Extremely important to know if we don’t receive these services and can’t live in the community, we must live in a nursing home where Medicaid pays the bill(Your same tax money except it costs double to pay)
Most people are not familiar with or knowledgeable about the world of disability so you are likely reading this thinking.. wow this sounds backwards, outdated, and just wrong. Everyone I've talked to agrees, including the government. They understand and agree that this is a broken flawed system. However, they will not actually fix it nor do anything unless enough people speak up on the issue! You have the opportunity to be a part of a very important civil rights movement.
Please lend us your voice to make sure our government is spending your money smart and doing the right thing ethically to care for People with a Disability.
Sincerely,
Dr. Christian, AKA The Quadriplegic Rockstar
* FYI, disability and employment + Medicaid has obstacles nationally. Tennessee , Alabama, and South Carolina have barriers instead of obstacles. This is the bill that has been voted on, signed, but is setting at the Center for Medicaid collecting dust since August 2024! Help us get this paperwork processed.
https://newschannel9.com/news/local/tennessee-bill-aims-to-ease-tenncare-access-for-working-adults-with-disabilities
* FYI, disability and employment + Medicaid has obstacles nationally. Tennessee , Alabama, and South Carolina have barriers instead of obstacles. This is the bill that has been voted on, signed, but is setting at the Center for Medicaid collecting dust since August 2024! Help us get this paperwork processed.
https://newschannel9.com/news/local/tennessee-bill-aims-to-ease-tenncare-access-for-working-adults-with-disabilities