UPDATE: As this bill continues to move along, it is looking as though the community service hours would be limited to unemployed residents, 19-64, who aren’t disabled.
The Utah House of Representatives passed a bill today that creates a pilot program requiring less than 100 people to perform community service in return for their Medicaid benefits.
The bill’s sponsor, Republican Ronda Menlove, feels the bill is a way to explore allowing more people into the Medicaid program as it expands due to federal health care reform. The community service could be done in schools or other areas where help is needed and budgets have been cut.
According to newly elected Holly Richardson,
“I am hopeful that as we structure the program we can see if people are already working that it’s not an undue burden. I don’t expect that were asking people to contribute 40 hours a week.â€
This is some out of the box thinking, with thoughts coming in from both sides of the issue.
- Will this proposal take into consideration the very sick or the elderly?  Can you imagine your 85 year old Grandmother out there volunteering?
- Should parents who have adopted kids out of the system and receive Medicaid benefits also have to perform community service. Aren’t these parents already providing a service to the state by bringing drug addicted kids into their homes?
- What about the vast amount of fraud and up-billing found with the Medicaid system.  Shouldn’t this be addressed before we send people out to pull weeds for the state?
- Hello? First you want to cut respite hours and now you want us to go and do community service? Who’s going to keep my kid alive while I’m scrubbing the toilets on Capitol Hill?
Should those of us who have kids on a Waiver beg to be a part of the first 100 families to be the guinea pigs?
There were some that wanted an additional SEVENTY PERCENT on top of the already proposed cuts to the Social Service budget.
Reed and I have been talking about this a lot. Me? If it keeps Parker connected to his vent, I’ll do whatever it takes. The thing is, having a medically fragile kid means that life is never routine. Hospital stays are always sneaking up and catching a Mama by surprise.
Reed and I both wonder if this bill might encourage those calling for an extra 70% cut in the social services budget to turn their sights elsewhere.
In talking to Representative Richardson, allowing extended family and friends to help with the community service requirements seemed possible.
What about you?
How do you feel about providing community service for the Medicaid your loved one receives?
I wonder if people who aren’t on Medicaid could “adopt” a family who is and do the community service for them. That would be nice… I mean if that’s the rule they want to make (which would be fine by me, although I know of no-one who uses Medicaid), they need to make it fair. People who *can* do community service, and who *want* to do it, should be able to, but people who *can’t* or *don’t* want to shouldn’t be forced to and they DEFINITELY should not be forced to lose their coverage. That’s just not fair. Unfortunately, fair doesn’t seem to matter, but I think it *could* be a good thing, if managed properly. So what I guess I’m saying is: good in theory but I doubt it’ll be good in execution.
Sending love & hugs to you & Parker!
Twitter: kadiera
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I…wow. I mean, I get the idea. I see how it could be arguably helpful.
But where are most people supposed to come up with that time? If you’re working, and your kid is sick enough for medicaid, there’s not a heck of a lot of time left in the week after working, going to doctors and therapies, doing some normal kid things, and actually sleeping once in a while.
I can see how it might work if folks without jobs were expected to contribute *something* as a part of their benefits, although I’m not sure that all of them have skills or health needed to contribute that time either.
The overhead of managing a program like this seems absurd, really – matching skills and times available and positions available. How are they going to pay for that?
*sigh* I think it sounds like the kind of thing my father-in-law would suggest. He’s upset about his taxes staying the same, paying for “all that crap for people who don’t deserve it” and pointing out that his own grandson is getting those same services doesn’t seem to make an impression on him.
kadiera recently posted..In a bit of a funk
Wow…I get where they’re coming from, but I think they’re seriously shooting past the target on this one. They are going on the assumption that the only people on Medicaid are the ones milking the system. While I agree that happens, it’s also true that there are those like you and the elderly who DEPEND on this system. And that should not be penalized. That is WHY the system was begun in the first place.
Wow.
They seriously missed the mark.
dawn recently posted..Even In The Valley
I didn’t hear what she said, but I think what would be good, and maybe what she’s saying, is that people who we think are abusing the system do community service. Like my dirt-bag brother in law’s girlfriend who won’t get a job, and gets medicaid and food stamps. Make her go do community service to pay back. Maybe some of these people will get off medicaid and get a job because they don’t want to do service. I don’t think us with fragile kids, who have been paying our taxes, should have to do anything!!
Lacey and Jax recently posted..Surgery for the princess
Twitter: nehimomma
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*sigh* only in Utah.
You know and I know that this bill stems from the fact that the LDS church asks for service of some sort when you receive food or $$ support from the church. EXCEPT that the church realizes there are exceptions….lots of exceptions to this rule and each person cannot all do the same service. In fact the church has tried to make it clear to Bishops and other leaders that one is not to “ground the nose of the poor in the dirt. To be very careful to not make someone whose life is already very complicated and hard worse.
Due to when my son first got sick…and for our few times in unemployment we have had to get help from time to time. They have never asked us for anything in return. I’m sure our Bishop at first realized how overwhelmed we were with Wesley. Once unemployment hit…I’m not really sure why they never asked us to help. We in turn fed the missionaries weekly when possible.
However the problem when the government wants to do the same thing…is it’s much harder for them to have broad ways of people being able to provide service and being able to logistically waive those that cannot help.
IMO asking someone whose child is on a waiver is absurd. At that point your grounding there nose into the ground.
Those that get it because there child is on SSI…I would say…same thing.
that leaves you with those that are poor due to very low income. Do you ask the family whose father has lost his job to help….but yet not ask the mother who is now single with children due to a father leaving?? Who decides that?
And in reality outside of pregnant woman in Utah, and very disabled adults, very few adults qualify for medicaid. Mostly we are talking of children on medicaid. IMO I don’t really care….I think all children should have insurance, whether that be from insurance/medicaid I don’t really care…I cannot imagine taking away some child’s insurance because there parent is a loser and won’t do community service. The adult…sure I’m fine with that. But I can’t stomach doing that to a child….any child.
I agree with what others have already said. In theory, on paper, it’s a good plan. My Logan cannot leave home. I am MORE than willing to participate in community service. However. Is medicaid going to provide me with a medically trained care provider who will come to my home so I can do my community service? And if so, um.. does that then require me to have MORE community service, to pay for the caregiver?
Logan is not on Medicaid, his father has him on private insurance. However, five of my children from a previous marriage are not able tobe covered with his plan, so they have medicaid. What about situations like that? I have a special needs child NOT receiving benefits, but I have children that do.
This whole thing needs to be thought out more thoroughly. It’s a good idea, but right now, to me? That;s all the merit it’s worth. A good idea.
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Twitter: therextras
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I think this is more evidence of decision-makers who have no idea of the life of a person or family receiving Medicaid. “Shooting past the target” indeed, dawn. They seem to really not know. And as if there is any composite stereotype of families receiving services. As if. See the extreme contrast of the woman Lacey mentions with yourself, Tammy.
Sadly, I do not think it is “only in Utah”, Sarah. I have seen Medicaid recipients and implementation in 5 different states.
I resent the use of money in ways I judge to be waste. I have seen this from the inside out. Looks like the legislators have no idea, have never seen what I have seen. Would that we could trust the people who transfer the legislated money to the recipients to make judgments about how the money is spent. As if. *sigh*
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I understood by my exchange words with Richardson that she sees the Medicaid’s target population in 3 group: The elderly, the special needs and financially distitute and everybody else in the middle. It seems non sense to me require services accross the board but I don’t known if I am informed enough. A a disclaimer tough, I woudn’t particularly mind to do some service hrs…but that in itself would defeat the few hrs of respite we receive. Something to ponder about!