MaineCare Programs that may be Affected by Budget Cuts

Thursday, May 14, 2009 Council members: The Appropriations Committee is considering a proposal for another major cut in the budget for the next two years that could cause serious harm to people with disabilities in Maine - legislators need to hear how their constituents feel about this proposal today. Please send an email or call and leave a voice message for your legislators to let them know this proposal would hurt people with disabilities and may result in greater cost to taxpayers if services are not provided when they are needed. (One example of this is early intervention services.) Here is a little more information about this proposal: Late last night during the discussions about the biennial budget, the Republicans proposed a five percent cut to "optional services" under MaineCare. It would be up to DHHS to decide how to limit services to stay within the lower budget amount, but it would be over and above cuts that have already been approved for several items within the "optional services" category. Large cuts have already been made in Children's Mental Health Services, the Home- and Community-Based waiver program, Children's residential services (private non-medical institutions), targeted case management, pharmacy services, and others. Here is a listing of the categories under the "Optional Services" of MaineCare - persons with disabilities are receiving services in every one of these categories, and would likely face limits on the services or not be able to get the services at all, if these cuts are included in the budget for the next two years. I have listed all of the services, so you can see how many of the services people depend on are considered "optional services". Adult Family Care Services Ambulatory Care Clinics Ambulatory Surgical Center Services Ambulance Services Consumer Directed Attendant Services Targeted Case Management Chiropractic Services Community Support Services Home and Community Based Servcies for Elderly and People with Disabilities Home and Community Based Services for Persons with Mental Retardation or Autistic Disorders Home and Community Based Services for those with Physical Disabilities Developmental and Behavioral Evaluation Clinics Day Habilitation Services Dental Services Day Health Services Early Intervention Services Hearing Aid Dealers Audiology Services Home Based Mental Health Services Home Health Services Day Treatment Services Hospice Services Psychiatric Facility Services (Spring Harbor, Acadia) Durable Medical Supplies Prosthetics & Orthotics Screening/Genetic Testing Mental Health Services Social Work Substance Abuse Treatment Psychological Services Nursing Facility (for anyone under 21 years old) Occupational Therapy Vision Services Pharmacy Physical Therapy Podiatrist Services Private Duty Nursing Personal Care Services Private Non-medical Institutions Rehabilitative Services (Brain Injury) School-based Rehabilitative Services Speech and Hearing Services Speech Pathology Services Transportation Services Boarding Home and Related VD Screening If you have any questions about this, feel free to send me an email, Julia.J.Bell@maine.gov or you can call Kathleen or Rachel at the Council office. I am sitting in the Appropriations Committee hearing room, so it is hard for me to take phone calls. (Note- this would be a good time to ask your friends and family members to make a call or send an email as well - this next week is going to be very challenging as the Legislature tries to finalize and pass the budget for the next two years, and any of the Senators and/or Representatives may make a suggestion that could be very harmful to people with disabilities. They need to be reminded how important these services are.) Julia Julia Bell Executive Director Maine Developmental Disabilities Council