vetoed items

[Tom Bird]

The only good outcome of the Governor's vetoes is that Sec 298 was vetoed. I don't know how this was included in the Legislature's budget, but it has been steadfastly opposed by advocates for consumers of the CMH system who view it as a sellout to privatization. We all know how well that worked for the Veterans' hospitals and the prisons; if it is such a fiscally and morally appropriate concept, then let's get Government out of all areas of service delivery and privatize MDOT and County Road Agencies, Police and fire services, schools, etc.

The concept of turning over a public health delivery system to the private insurance industry is rife with red flags. Even if they were understanding of the concept of "habilitative services" as opposed to their traditional role of delivering "Rehabilitative services", and even  if they had the desire to continue to deliver these life-long supports and services to the most disadvantaged of our society, their embedded corporate overhead will drain valuable Medicaid Dollars from scarce services. (Come to think of it, why not extend the logic to privatize Medicaid in it's entirety? Eliminate MDHHS and turn it over to private industry to administer.)

Some of you were not around for previous hearings on Sec 298. The root issue is a proported "Pilot program" to bundle Medicaid and Medicare services under the insurance industry. If you are going to have a "pilot", you need established hypothesis to test, stated goals for the pilot, a measurement standard to assess the outcomes, with appropriate metrics, and an open mind to critically review and assess the outcomes. What Sec. 298 does is mandate an implementation with presupposed results that justify the expense. Consumers who have had input into the process (limited as it was), overwhelmingly opposed the risk to their existing vital services. To them, there was no "upside" to the pilot, only risk of losing quality and quantity of Medicaid services such as supports and services in support of daily living. 

Rather than dismantling the existing service delivery system, address the known shortcomings: arbitrary and unrealistic funding formulas, chronic under-funding of CMH's, the dilution of services to the "most needy" from the adoption of the Medicaid Expansion program and it's disruption of historic funding formulas. Anyone remember the original premises/promises of this when it was being sold to the Legislature? "It will save money and pay for itself." Whenever you hear that phrase used to pitch something at you, beware!

Please delete the Sec. 298 from your budget negotiations with the Governor. Support reinstating the funding for emergency Mental Health phone lines as introduced by Rep. Whiteford. Address the chronic underfunding of the Medicaid delivery system, specifically the overall funding to draw down maximum Federal matching Dollars, and to properly allocate those funds to the CMH's based upon the consumers that they individually serve, not some arbitrary funding formula based upon various Medicaid enrollment classes.

These issues are complex, and we don't expect every one of you to fully understand the issues, along with the other serious budgetary quandaries that you face. I would be happy to discuss the specifics of these suggestions with you.

Tom Bird

DDAdvocates of Western Michigan

443 Highbanks Ct.

Holland, MI 49424

cell-616.2041683