STATEMENT OF SENATOR TOM HARKIN (D-IA) AT THE FREE OUR PEOPLE RALLY

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2003

“I want to congratulate those who have traveled 144 miles over these past weeks, all the way from the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia to the halls of Congress in Washington, D.C. I know it was a long, difficult trip, but it is that kind of strength, that kind of perseverance that is going to finally get the attention of this Congress and turn around the Medicaid program in this country. 

“We have a Medicaid program with a serious institutional bias. According to Congressional Research Service, the most recent data shows that 70% of our Medicaid dollars continues to be spent on institutional settings, with only 30% going to community based services. What a shameful statistic! And that is still the case despite the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and despite the Olmstead case, where the Supreme Court recognized the importance of living in the community and not in an institution. 

“Congress has been talking about this problem for years. But now is the time to act. Now is the time ensure that people with disabilities and older Americans can choose to live in their own home, not a nursing home; in the community, not in a facility; and with friends and family, not strangers. 

“I have been proud to introduce two bills that that would make a difference. The Medicaid Community-based Attendant Services and Supports Act (MiCASSA) and the Money Follows the Person Act. 

“MICASSA will level the playing field by requiring states to cover community services, as well as institutional care under their Medicaid programs. Right now, states are required to provide nursing home care, but there is no similar requirement for community attendant services and supports. 

“The Money Follows the Person Act would meet our goal of having money follow the choice of the person, not the program. This act will give states additional resources to pay for community based services and to develop a service system so individuals have a real choice to live in their homes and neighborhoods.  

“I am pushing for hearings on these initiatives so my colleagues will fully appreciate the consequences of our failed Medicaid policy, the many lives that have been stolen, and the many individuals whose talents have been wasted while they sit in an institution or nursing home all day long. 

“I want to give you an example from my home state of Iowa. Joel VanderMolen recently visited my Des Moines office. He is 21 years old and uses a ventilator. Joel requires community based nursing and attendant services, which he has been receiving under his parent’s health insurance. This insurance runs out at the end of this year because he is reaching his lifetime maximum. He has been told that Medicaid will only pay for his needs in a nursing facility, rather than in the community. He has a degree in information technology and a temporary job at a workforce development office. He lives in his own apartment in a neighborhood. But Medicaid rules will force him to move out of his home, away from his family and friends, and give up any hope of future employment. This is unacceptable and needs to change. We can not afford to waste the many talents of Joel and many others like him. 

“So I congratulate all of you who completed the long march from Philadelphia and thank everyone for turning out for this rally. Together we can make a difference. Together we can change our Medicaid program so it stops locking people into nursing homes and other facilities against their will and starts supporting the principles of the ADA - integration, equality and opportunity. Together we will Free Our People!”