[Education and Welfare] Fw: cuts for the Blind/Medicaid

Wed Mar 21 21:51:12 CDT 2012

Well so far he did not call me back but I am sure he has seen the ads.
Mary
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Christopher Gray" <chris at moblind.org>
To: "Education and Welfare" <ew at moblind.org>
Cc: "mo chat list serve" <Chat at moblind.org>; "scccb mailing list" 
<scccb at moblind.org>; "MO List Serve" <missouri-l at moblind.org>
Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2012 12:29 PM
Subject: Re: [Education and Welfare] Fw: cuts for the Blind/Medicaid


> Hey Mary:
>
> Ask him if he's heard our nice ad on the radio yet <smile>.
>
> It's really kind of sad; maybe he doesn't know it, but his attitude is 
> very anti-blind.  He has no understanding of our disability whatsoever and 
> it shows in his note.
>
> Chris
>
>
>
>
>
> On Wed, 21 Mar 2012, Mary Pendleton wrote:
>
>> Ann,
>> I do agree with Chris but I did call Rep Silvey's office just now . I 
>> told him heneeds to get all of his facts straight when he responds to 
>> someone. For instance, He stated that many blind persons wdo not qualify 
>> for Social Security Disability according to federal guidelines. Flanagan 
>> is in his office right now and they are going to discuss this and call me 
>> back.
>> Mary
>>  ----- Original Message -----
>>  From: Anne Murphy
>>  To: Education and Welfare Legislative mailing list
>>  Cc: mo chat list serve ; scccb mailing list ; MO List Serve
>>  Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2012 11:47 AM
>>  Subject: [Education and Welfare] Fw: cuts for the Blind/Medicaid
>>
>>
>>  This is what he wrote in response to my email to him.
>>  Tell me what to say back.
>>  I want to cry.
>>  ----- Original Message -----
>>  From: Ryan Silvey
>>  To: Anne Murphy
>>  Sent: Wednesday, March 21, 2012 10:56 AM
>>  Subject: Re: cuts for the Blind/Medicaid
>>
>>
>>  Dear Ms. Murphy,
>>
>>
>>  Thank you for taking the time to contact me regarding this issue. Please 
>> know that this decision is not made lightly, nor is it meant to be in any 
>> way "mean-spirited."  I certainly don't hold any hostility toward anyone 
>> with a disability, blind or otherwise, and do not in any way minimize the 
>> struggles they deal with on a daily basis.
>>
>>
>>  I believe there are many misconceptions around this issue due to the 
>> oversimplified reporting of it and now the politicizing of this issue by 
>> the Governor and certain special interest groups.  According members of 
>> the Missouri Federation for the Blind that I have spoken with, 
>> approximately 1% of the population is totally blind. Missouri has over 6 
>> million people, therefore there are approximately 60,000 totally blind 
>> individuals in the state of Missouri.  The program under discussion deals 
>> with approximately 2,800 of these individuals, or less than 5%, that have 
>> an income and whose income is too high for them to qualify for Medicaid. 
>> These 2,800 individuals are costing the taxpayers of the state of 
>> Missouri almost $30 Million per year.
>>
>>
>>  According to the statistics, over 57,000 blind individuals will not be 
>> affected at all by the elimination of this program and those that would 
>> be affected are, financially speaking, not the most vulnerable. In fact, 
>> according to federal guidelines, they don't even qualify as disabled for 
>> Social Security Disability Insurance, or SSDI.
>>
>>
>>  We "means test" Medicaid programs for a reason. "Means testing" is 
>> placing income guidelines on a program to ensure that we are truly taking 
>> care of those individuals that have no other option. If someone is 
>> paraplegic and makes too much money to qualify for Medicaid, the state 
>> does not pay for their medical bills. Similarly, if someone is deaf, or 
>> autistic, or quadriplegic and their income exceeds the Medicaid 
>> requirements, the state does not pay for their medical bills. In fact, 
>> the only disability that receives this subsidy, regardless of their 
>> income, is blindness.
>>
>>
>>  In addition to making an income and having the state pay for all of 
>> their medical bills, these individuals also receive a payment from the 
>> state of over $700 per month known as the Blind Pension. This is also 
>> unique in the disability community and will still continue if the 
>> proposed elimination of medical coverage goes forward. In other words, 
>> these individuals would make an income in excess of Medicaid requirements 
>> and have a $700 per month stipend from the state that could be used to 
>> help secure medical coverage from another source.
>>
>>
>>  Believe me, nobody likes to be the one recommending a decrease in 
>> services for anyone with a disability. However, given the current fiscal 
>> situation of the state facing a $500 Million deficit, and the Governor's 
>> continued recommendations for cuts in education, I am absolutely 
>> confident that if this program did not currently exist and someone 
>> proposed creating it, there is no way it would be created at this time. 
>> Due to the inequity of providing so much assistance for such a small 
>> percentage of one particular disability, to the exclusion of all other 
>> disabilities, and the enormous cost of about $30 Million annually, it is 
>> difficult to justify continuing this subsidy.
>>
>>
>>  Emotionally, we would all like to be able to provide more for those who 
>> are disabled. Realistically, I believe it is unsustainable to continue 
>> doing so for a population whose income exceeds the Medicaid eligibility 
>> for anyone else who is disabled.
>>
>>
>>  While you may still continue to disagree with me, I hope you will at 
>> least be able to see that there are logical reasons behind the decision 
>> and not just "mean-spirited" efforts at cost cutting.
>>
>>
>>  Thanks again for contacting me with your views.
>>
>>
>>  Ryan Silvey
>>  State Representative
>>  District 38
>>  Chairman, House Budget Committee
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>  On Mar 21, 2012, at 10:04 AM, Anne Murphy wrote:
>>
>>
>>    I am now 48 years old and began losing my vision at age 35 slowly.
>>    I attended Rockhurst University as a sighted student and have many 
>> family and friends in the KC area.  I call KC my second home
>>    Your attempts to cut aid to the Blind/Medicaid is not thought of 
>> highly by my family and you will lose votes for this.
>>    They know my struggles as a blind person and my expenses and health 
>> care expenses.
>>    I urge you to reconsider your opinion on this matter.
>>    My KC family and friends will not vote for you again if you do not.
>>    Anne Murphy
>>    St. Louis, MO
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>
>>  _______________________________________________
>>  EW mailing list
>>  EW at moblind.org
>>  http://moblind.org/mailman/listinfo/ew_moblind.org
>>
>
> ----------------------------------------
> Christopher Gray, Executive Director
> Missouri Council of the Blind
>
> 5453 Chippewa
> St. Louis, MO 63109
> Phone:     (314) 832-7172
> Toll-free: (800) 342-5632
> Fax:       (314) 832-7796
>
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