Arc Policy and Advocacy Update

Upcoming Advocacy Training: October 19, Carbondale

Advocacy and Federal Medicaid Attacks Training will touch on what is self advocacy, advocacy tools as well as a brief overview of how Congress is trying to change Medicaid.  There will be a 1-4 pm in depth training and 6-7:30 pm shorter training.  For more information, email meg@thearcofil.org.  CEUs will be available for a $10 fee.  The address is: Southern Illinois CIL, 2135 West Ramada Lane, Carbondale, IL 62901  Here is the latest flier.

Person Centered Planning Survey!

We want to hear from you to better understand how the person centered process is being implemented and how we can improve it.

  • For Individuals and Families: Here is the link.
  • For ISCs, service providers and other professionals: Here is the link.

Save the Date: Dec 7 Talking about Future Planning with Aging Parents, Details to Follow!

Here are some of the highlights and calls to action for this week.  For the latest news, please like us on Facebook and Twitter as well. 

 

State Policy and Advocacy

Wage Implementation Continues

From DDD:
DDD has updated its state-wide rate tables in the DDD billing and payment system for the $0.75 wage increase effective August 1, 2017.  Providers’ billings already processed for August are being adjusted with payments and remittance reports currently available to providers.

DDD has recalculated all Facility Rates for ICF/IDDs and MC/DDS.  HFS is in the process of entering updated rate information for ICF/IDDs, MC/DDs payments. DDD has recalculated all Exceptional Care (EC) Rates for people who have EC rates being served in MC/DDs.  HFS is in the process of entering updated rate information for EC payments.

DDD is currently recalculating over 21,000 rates for people served in CILA, Home Based Services and Purchase of Services residential programs.  The DDD plans to transmit the updated rate information to the DDD billing and payment system on Oct. 3, 2017.  Upon receipt of the updated rate information the payment system will automatically adjust any previously processed billing for CILA, POS and HBS retroactive to August 1, 2017.  DDD payment processing should be complete by Friday, Oct. 6 with remittance reports available to providers at that time through MOBIUS.  Additional information on how this affects HBS is included in the HBS Rate article above.

Payment vouchers for the CILA, POS and HBS rate adjustments are expected to be sent to the Comptroller for remittance to provider the week of Oct. 9, 2017.

What does this mean?
For staff, to remind people, the 75 cent increase is focused on DSPs and other frontline staff.  The Division has given examples but has left it to the individual organizations to implement the wage increase how they see fit.  For frontline staff, we recommend you asking the specifics from your organization about implementation.  The increase will be retroactive to August 1.  We expect that organizations beginning to see a rate increase now and/or will have their contracts amended by December.  If you have questions about implementation, please email meg@thearcofil.org.

What we need from you:

  1. Stories of DSPs who have left since the beginning of July, because the pay wasn’t enough for them to make ends meet and/or they thought they were getting a small raise and still haven’t seen it (delay from the State).
  2. Stories of DSPs who leave after the 75-cent wage increase finally takes effect, because even with that small raise, they still cannot support themselves or their families.
  3. Anything you are willing to share publicly about homes closing or consolidating and the impact that has on families and people with disabilities.

Please contact us with any responses at theydeservemoreIL@gmail.com.

We also need to make sure to thank our legislators who passed this budget.  As we receive payment and workers begin to see increases if they haven’t already in their pay checks, we need to make sure to call our state House and Senate members to thank them for this initial investment but remind them that their work is not done!

Comment Opportunity Extended: DDD Bulletin on “Additional Staffing Support, CILA and DT Programs”

On Friday, September 27, 2017, DDD posted a draft Information Bulletin “Additional Staffing Support, CILA and DT Programs”.  The Bulletin indicated that the Comment Period ended today, Wednesday, October 11, 2017.  Since the comment period contained only nine business days, we are extending it to Wednesday, October 25, 2017.

The link is shown here: http://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=57957

 

 

Federal Advocacy

President Trump Takes Executive Action on Healthcare and Might End Subsidies

Yesterday, President Trump signed an Executive Order (EO) that could significantly harm marketplaces by creating new, cheaper and leaner insurance plans that would pull healthier people and cause premiums to rise in exchanges and potentially employer based plans.  Per Axios, the EO does three main things (Thanks Amber Smock!):

  • Expand access to association health plans, in which a group of small employers can band together to buy insurance as a collective.
  • Expand access to short-term health plans. These policies don’t cover much and don’t cost much; today, you can only keep one for three months. Trump will extend that time limit to a year.
  • Expand the use of health reimbursement accounts, which allow employers to set aside tax-free money to help cover their employees’ health care costs. Workers will likely be able to tap that money to pay the premiums for a plan in the individual market.

This EO is a White House attempt to accomplish at least some of what Congress failed to pass through the Graham-Cassidy bill and its predecessors. It could have very serious consequences in raising health care costs for people with disabilities.  The Executive Order can be found here and the press release can be found here.

The Arc Responds to President Trump’s Health Care Executive Order “Extremely dangerous for people with disabilities”
“Trump will scrap critical Obamacare subsidy,” From Politico “President Donald Trump plans to cut subsidy payments to insurers in his most aggressive move yet to undermine Obamacare after months of unsuccessful repeal efforts on Capitol Hill, according to two sources. The subsidies, which are worth an estimated $7 billion this year and are paid out in monthly installments, may stop almost immediately since Congress hasn’t appropriated funding for the program.  “Scrapping the funding is likely to provide another jolt to the already fragile Obamacare markets. The impact may be cushioned by the fact that many insurers had priced next year’s plans higher than they otherwise would have, fearing this decision. Others have already fled the Obamacare markets, which are set to begin open enrollment in Nov. 1 for the 2018 plan year. Insurers rely on the subsidies to reduce out-of-pocket costs for low-income Obamacare customers. They’re still on the hook to provide the discounted rates to their members under the law, despite no longer receiving the federal funding.  “Trump has threatened for months to cut off the payments, deriding them as a ‘bailout’ for insurers. While Republican lawmakers complained the subsidies were never properly appropriated by Congress, many were wary of ending them suddenly.” http://politi.co/2wRx2HO

Federal Budget – Senate to vote next week on big cuts to Medicaid

The Senate will vote on a budget next week which has significant cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, education, housing and more.  The concern is the smaller budget is going to enable tax cuts that will not impact people with disabilities.  We need to call our Senators to say no to the budget!

Please send emails to your Senators to say:

Vote no on the budget that slashes Medicaid, SNAP, education, housing and more!

 

Resources

Just In Case You Missed It:

Bureau of Quality Management Review Process for FY18 Webinar

Tuesday, October 10, 2017, 2:00 p.m-3:30pm.
What provider groups can expect during the FY18 review process
including CILA, CLF, DT, SDA and Child Group Home
Presented by Jayma Bernhard Page, Bureau Chief

Register Tuesday (10/10/2017) by following the link below:

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7253037690122363905

 

Important Dates!

  • October 16 – Kelly’s Hollywood Movie
  • October 19 – Medicaid and Advocacy Training, Carbondale
  • October 30-November 1 – Speak Up Speak Out, Springfield
  • November 8 – Executive Forum
  • December 7 – Tentative Future Planning Training