For Immediate Release
May 2, 2011

Contact: Janine Bertram (503) 915-5247
Contact: Bruce Darling (585) 370-6690
Contact: Marsha Katz (406) 544-9504

ADAPT FIGHTS MEDICAID CUTBACKS; OCCUPIES CANNON ROTUNDA

Washington, DC—300 members of ADAPT, the national disability rights grassroots organization, have taken over the Rotunda of the Cannon House Office Building, demanding that Congress derail Representative Paul Ryan’s FY 12 budget proposal. Under the Ryan Plan, Medicaid programs would be cut by 35%, which translates to a loss of $772 billion in human services. Additionally, the Ryan Plan proposes a system of Medicaid block grants for states—giving states greater ability to make cuts.

“The Ryan Plan is today’s version of the “Final Solution” for the 60 million people who rely on Medicaid,” said Randy Alexander, an organizer with ADAPT of Tennessee. “A real solution for containing costs is to give Medicaid recipients of long term care services greater flexibility to receive those services in their own homes and communities, rather than in costly institutions. Let’s get real about what we’ve known for decades: government spending on institutional reimbursements is breaking America’s bank.”

Of the 60 million people counting on Medicaid right now, 8.5 million are people with disabilities; 8.8 million are low income frail, elderly and disabled individuals who rely on Medicaid to plug the gaps in Medicare coverage, such as long term care. Medicaid pays for vital services such as wheelchairs and prostheses for people with spinal cord injuries and other physical disabilities; prescription drugs for people with mental illnesses and other medical conditions; services to assist people with intellectual disabilities to live and work in the community rather than be forced into an institution; and screening programs to identify and diagnose disabilities for children.

There is widespread support for services for the people with disabilities and older Americans. According to a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll, 69% of Americans oppose cutting Medicaid. These results are consistent with a 2010 Harris survey that found that 89% Americans supported a tax increase to assure that people could receive services in their own homes, rather than being forced into nursing facilities or other institutions. The American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) polls repeatedly find that the vast majority of seniors want to age in their own homes with any needed services.

“We cannot accept this invasion of our liberty any longer. The institutional bias in federal and state policies steals our freedom, our families, our homes, and our very lives,” said Bruce Darling, an organizer with Rochester ADAPT. “The Ryan Plan’s claim of ‘flexibility’ is a lie. We don’t need flexibility in Medicaid cuts. We need flexibility in Medicaid spending so people can choose the less expensive community service options they want, and that will ultimately contain costs.”

For more information about ADAPT, visit www.adapt.org and http://twitter.com/nationaladapt.