ADAPT Leaves D.C. After Week of “Firsts”

Washington, D.C.-- ADAPT concluded a successful week in Washington with Friday visits to legislators that resulted in at least one new House co-sponsor for MiCASSA, the Community Choice Act (H.R. 910, S 401). The staff of Rep. Bobby Rush (D-IL) calling MiCASSA House sponsor, Rep. Danny Davis’ (D-IL) office to sign on to the bill, as Rush’s ADAPT constituents listened in, was only one of a number of firsts that occurred during ADAPT’s week in D.C.

Other firsts this week included:

Joe Shapiro’s NPR coverage of the ADAPT action, which included an interview with Mark McClellan, the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid. McClellan credited his work with ADAPT as the reason for “Money Follows the Person” (MFP).
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6076125
ADAPT targeting the trade associations for the nation’s Public Housing Authorities (PHAs), demanding, and getting, meetings with both the Public Housing Authorities Directors Association (PHADA) and the Council of Large Public Housing Authorities (CLPHA.) ADAPT has put the PHAs on notice that they share responsibility with HUD for assuring people with disabilities have affordable, accessible, integrated housing.
Taking on the Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) that currently oversee acute health services in many states, and which are beginning to take on long-term services as well. ADAPT will be meeting with the CEO of America’s Health Insurance Plans, an MCO trade association, to get a commitment that AHIP members won’t contract with states to ration long-term services and supports in order to balance their budgets.
Garnering support for MiCASSA (H.R. 910, S 401) from the civil rights-oriented National Catholic Partnership on Disability (NCPD). After meeting with ADAPT, the NCPD wrote and sent a letter supporting passage of MiCASSA to the co-sponsors in both the House and Senate.
Getting a commitment from Kim Kendrick, HUD’s Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity, to make sure her boss, HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson, keeps his promise to contact the PHAs about designating Section 8 vouchers for Medicaid-eligible people with disabilities who are coming out of shelters, nursing homes and other institutions.
ADAPT conducting its first Youth Summit, prior to the ADAPT Action, and having a general emphasis on youth throughout the week. Among the youth attending the action were disability rights filmmaker Eric Clow, from California; Candice Clark, from West Virginia, a member of the West Virginia Youth Disability Caucus that got legislation passed this year creating a Disability History Week in West Virginia; Eric and Andrew Roybal, brothers from Colorado who have written and recorded the first-ever disability rights rap song; Colin Olenick, a member of the Kansas Youth Leadership Network; Jamie, fresh out of a Georgia rehab facility; Sarah Watkins, a University of Michigan undergrad, who has spent most of 2006 researching the history and non-violent organizing strategies of ADAPT; Lisa Navarette of Texas; Paul Daye from Philadelphia; and Amber Smock of Chicago, one of the Youth Summit Organizers.
The Kansas City Star newspaper following ADAPT youth Colin Olenick from Overland Park, Kansas through the week.
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/15531863.htm
Colin’s congressman, Rep. Dennis Moore (D-KS) has been a consistent and early co-sponsor of MiCASSA legislation.
ADAPT faxing a Thank-you for passing “Money Follows the Person” to Republican National Committee Chair, Ken Mehlman, while also occupying the GOP offices to get a meeting with Mehlman. ADAPT wants Republican support for two additional measures that will assist states to successfully implement MFP and then make it permanent, namely “Access Across America” the housing initiative that will assure people with disabilities have adequate affordable, accessible, integrated housing as they leave nursing homes, shelters, and other institutions; and MiCASSA, the Community Choice Act, which would remove the institutional bias from Medicaid, and make permanent the choice of persons with disabilities to live in their own homes and communities and still have their services and supports paid for by Medicaid.

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