From Moms Rising (https://www.momsrising.org/):
“We have 3 children who are medically fragile and medically complex who are able to receive care at home thanks to our state’s HCBS waiver. These programs are critically important to ensuring families can stay together and children like mine don’t have to live in a hospital or institution but can be at home with the support of nursing, case management, and other services. This not only saves the states money but saves families!” – Jenny in North Carolina
Quick signature at https://action.momsrising.org/sign/hcbs_2022: Tell your members of Congress to support a $150 billion investment in Home- and Community-Based Services (HCBS)!
As parents, we all want our children to grow up as healthy as possible and find their place in the world. We want our babies to thrive as they become children, teenagers, and eventually adults, and to be wholly included in our communities. But for many families who have kids and adults with disabilities, or aging family members, this shared hope can be a monumental struggle without the right kind of support and services. This is why we need Congress to take action to improve our long-term care system to enable kids and people with disabilities, as well as older adults, to stay at home and thrive in their communities.
What’s happening? Home- and Community-Based Services are mainly covered under Medicaid and are typically not covered under Medicare or private insurance. However, while state Medicaid programs are required to cover care in institutional settings like nursing homes, their Medicaid-funded HCBS programs—which enable people who need services to stay in their homes and communities—have limited spots available leaving nearly 820K people on waiting lists. [1] This leaves many families facing the difficult choice of whether to provide the needed care themselves or to institutionalize their loved one so they can receive the support needed, even though the vast majority prefer to receive care at home. [2] Access to HCBS affords people with disabilities of all ages the self-determination to choose where they want to live.
Add your name! Our petition reads:
Dear Congress,
I am writing to ask that you deliver real solutions for moms and families now by including a $150 billion investment in Home- and Community-Based Services in an economic package this year. This would expand services to people with disabilities and older adults, reduce waiting lists, and improve job quality for the workers who provide these critical services.
The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated just how important it is for families to have the option to keep their loved ones at home, given the large number of COVID-19 infections and deaths in congregate settings, including nursing homes. The American Rescue Plan included a temporary provision to increase the federal match rate for Home- and Community-Based Services by 10% to build capacity for these services. While this was a good start, much more is needed in order to address the needs of people with disabilities and the inequities that exist in long-term services and support programs across the country after decades of lack of investment in the HCBS infrastructure.
This investment in HCBS would also enable states to raise job quality (i.e. wages, benefits, access to training, and career pathways) for direct care workers, most of whom are women of color and immigrants. And it must begin to address the significant race and population-based inequities that often occur with access to HCBS.
The more people who speak out, the bigger our impact. Please take a moment to forward our action link to your friends and family, and to share it on social media: https://action.momsrising.org/sign/hcbs_2022
Together we are a powerful voice for the health of families.
[1] Kaiser Family Foundation, Key State Policy Choices About Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services
[2] Justice in Aging, Medicaid Home- and Community-Based Services for Older Adults with Disabilities: A Primer
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