Vouchers of $16 K for each disabled person served under Lanterman?

DrCameronJackson@gmail.com

A woman recently wrote poignantly, Put my disabled son on Death’s Row in San Quintin and he will get three square meals, medical care and perhaps even a room with a view… The woman wrote in response to the proposed $568.6 million cut in money allocated for the 246,000 disabled in California served under the Lanterman Act.

The woman’s feelings are understandable given that it costs taxpayers $50 to 70 K per inmate in CA prison compared to the cost to care for each disabled person. Run the math ($4 billion in CA budget allocated last year divided by 246,000 disabled persons equals $16,260 spent per disabled person).

Maybe it’s time to put the family of each disabled person served by CA regional centers in the driver’s seat. Why not have vouchers that follow each disabled person — akin to school vouchers — that give families choice? That way people will become knowledgeable as what things cost and more empowered by making the choices they think best.

How vendors are selected and the amount they are paid has been of concern to the legislature in California. The government wants more transparency. Put the disabled person’s family in the driver’s seat so they know how much money there is to spend and there will be a huge increase in people’s knowledge about the costs of medical care. This will increase transparency in government.

What people have to pay for out of pocket they will watch closely.

Why not reduce the CA budget by 568.6 million and put in place a voucher program? Each disabled individual could receive a voucher $16, 260.

Today, 4-4-2011 Rush Linbaugh asked a UAW worker who called in what his beef was. The UAW worker said that his co-pay has gone up to $35 and prescriptions up also. Asked by Linbaugh what does it cost to go to his doctor the UAW worker did not know.

Then Linbaugh made his point — that the UAW worker has no clue what it actually costs to go to the doctor. During the break Linbaugh looked it up and then said that the average real cost to go to a physician is $400.

Then Linbaugh asked the UAW worker, if you had to pay the $400 out of your own pocket you would know how much, right? Yes, said the UAW worker.

The article by the woman concerned about the cuts in money for the disabled is below:

“I’m beginning to hope my son will be sent to prison – perhaps Death Row.

“Rob stands accused of no crime. And I am not an unloving mother. Let me explain: Rob has a developmental disability, and California is balancing its budget by gutting the services that keep him alive.

The situation is dire enough that I must wonder: Once Rob’s services are cut, will Death Is Death Row be a safer place for him?

I know that every program is getting cut. But the single largest budget cut

just signed into law by the governor – $568.6 million – is for services for people with developmental disabilities.For Rob, and 246,000 other Californians like him, that money went to get him to medical appointments, to manage his finances and – hopefully – to have someone look out for his safety after his father and I are no longer alive.

It is shameful that the most vulnerable citizens are receiving the largest share of the pain. Rob was born 31 years ago, legally blind, with cerebral palsy and intellectual disabilities. Today he is healthy, employed, living with a roommate and paying his taxes. The essential programs that made this possible are supposedly guaranteed by legislation signed by then-Gov. Ronald Reagan in 1969, the Lanterman Act. The law directs the state to provide people with disabilities like autism and Down syndrome with access to housing, health care and employment. For people with developmental disabilities, the Lanterman Act was equivalent to the Bill of Rights, except more important. Without its practical support, many could not survive outside of grim old-fashioned state institutions (which were vastly more expensive – and now mostly have closed).

It’s a particularly bitter irony that I could even consider prison – a far worse institution – as a potential safe haven. But the math is simple. That $568.6 million cut is approximately 20 percent of state funding for services for people with developmental disabilities. This comes after years of smaller cuts – plus cuts to other services they depend on, like Medi-Cal. The safety net was dismantled years ago. Now we are taking down the tightrope itself.

Meanwhile, prisons – protected by a court order – face only a 1 percent cut. Rob’s services are protected only by the Legislature and governor. What have our state’s leaders done for him lately?

In recent years, Rob lost his dental coverage, his physical therapy and his vision care – despite his difficulty walking and seeing. Now the state sees room for another half billion dollars in cuts. That’s why Death Row – with its steady funding and a decade of room and board – is looking better and better. (San Quentin State Prison even offers views of San Francisco Bay and is set to receive a new $356 million facility.)

So, how can you help? Contact the governor and protest the cuts to services for people with developmental disabilities. If that fails, then consider framing one of them for a capital offense. You’ll be guaranteeing them health care and three meals a day for 10 years or more – and possibly a room with a view.
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Here’s some information about the Regional Centers:
Silva Says…An Update On The 67th March, 2011 | Issue 52
Assemblyman Silva Introduces Regional Center Records Act
Assemblyman Jim Silva (R – Huntington Beach) introduced AB 862, the Regional Center Records Act. This measure will bring transparency to a major taxpayer-funded program in California.

“Taxpayers have a right to know how their money is being spent. Parents, vendors and the centers themselves will benefit from increased transparency,” Silva said.

Since the passage of the Lanterman Act in 1969, the 21 Regional Centers have been the conduit to provide services to the developmentally disabled. While they have done great things in accomplishing this mission, recent investigative reports have given cause for concern. A report by the California State Auditor has raised serious questions about how the regional centers choose and pay vendors for the services they provide as well as capital projects and administrative services. The state auditor has suggested that a more uniform, transparent process would improve the cost effectiveness of this program.

“We are proud to be the sponsor of this Act. Regional centers are vital to the community but they need to be more forthcoming with their information,” said Boyd Bradshaw, president of the ResCoalition, a coalition of residential care providers.

California appropriated over $4 billion in last year’s budget to provide for the developmentally disabled. AB 862 will require the 21 Regional Centers to make several important points of data available to the public to include fiscal and administrative information. It can be heard in its first committee as soon as 30 days from introduction.