ANCOR PUBLIC POLICY PRINCIPLES – TAKING THE HELM IN 2017

  • Uphold federal disability civil rights statutes [e.g. the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Olmstead decision, the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act (DD Act), and the Rehabilitation Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)]; champion the full implementation and funding of cost of compliance with these statutes; reject discriminatory acts and statements about people regardless of disability.
  • Strengthen Medicaid funded systems that promote community inclusion and provide a range of options for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
  • Lead discussions on quality; advocate for adequate funding necessary to ensure quality supports.
  • Oppose any reductions to Medicaid funding allocated to IDD and changes to IDD Medicaid eligibility that would cause reductions in eligibility.
  • Advance effective strategies that address the significant and mounting direct support professional workforce shortage.
  • This includesefforts aimed at cultivating workforce growth, funding for adequate DSP wages and benefits, technology solutions and leadership succession that sustain the viability of the Medicaid funded community supports, and other Medicaid funded systems into the future.
  • Design, lead and evaluate creative and innovative system and funding reform with the goal of a sustainable, quality system that supports a quality workforce.
  • Advance the opportunity for providers to have standing before, and access to, all branches of government, including executive, legislative and judicial, to ensure adequate and reasonable payments and provider qualifications for the services they provide.
  • Ensure that providers are involved as valued stakeholders at all levels of pertinent federal oversight and licensing procedures as well as implementation of any relevant federal regulations or statutes.
  • Educate stakeholders on the meaningful difference providers make in the lives of people with disabilities as well as the valuethey bring to the Medicaid program and the communities they operate in.
  • Recognize and advance the critical role of the state and federal partnership of Medicaid through state association collaboration.

ANCOR POSITION ON BLOCK GRANT AND PER CAPITA CAP PROPOSALS

The system of Medicaid funded community services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) is under critical stress. Services for people with I/DD are inadequately funded and cannot address the growing direct support workforce crisis nor accommodate extensive waiting lists across the country while managing significant regulatory oversight and local, state, and federal mandates.

We do not support block grants which would end guaranteed access for millions of Americans with I/DD who are eligible for Medicaid services as a way to reduce federal funding resulting in shifted costs to states and state taxpayers. We do not support per capita cap proposals which would result in cost shifts to state governments, providers, individuals and families and without knowing details of how each state would reflect the cost of care or determine growth rates for the variation of people with disabilities served.

We believe there are opportunities to improve Medicaid. We support greater flexibility for states to innovate and provide higher quality care.If a proposal for either block grants or per capita caps is put forward that does not reduce federal funding, eligibility or services, then we are open to that discussion--or any discussion that focuses on ways to improve the lives of people with I/DD,and ensure botha stable workforce and a sustainable Medicaid program.