Texas
Legislature Passes Medicaid Buy-in Program
Sunday, August 26, 2001
El Paso Times
Eric Reed
Guest columnist
Opportunities. They're what makes this country great. We all should appreciate the
opportunity to live where and how one wants and to work and raise a family with dignity. However, there is a group of individuals who find these opportunities are not readily available, a group that cannot necessarily live or work where they choose. I am talking about individuals with disabilities.
This nation worked hard over the past decade to provide opportunities for individuals with disabilities. In 1990, then-President George Bush signed
the American with Disabilities Act. This act opened restaurants, businesses and places of employment to people who were previously denied access.
Yet despite the passage of this historical civil rights legislation, many of the doors to employment for individuals with disabilities were still sealed shut. Why? Not because these individuals were not willing to work or because
businesses didn't want to hire them, but because these people simply could not afford to work and lose health-care benefits.
One of the biggest fears an individual with a disability faces is the loss of health-care coverage. The cost for prescription medications and
personal assistance can easily exceed $2000 a month.
I know this for a fact because I am an individual with a disability. In 1980, I sustained a spinal cord injury as a result of an automobile accident that left me paralyzed from the neck down. Initially, private insurance covered my medical costs, but due to the extent of my injuries, I needed additional
coverage.
At this point I had no choice but to accept Medicaid and Medicare benefits. However, I quickly realized the long-term effects of these benefits. Yes, I was able to get my rehabilitation needs met and attend college, I was even able to serve as an adviser for two mayors and two governors. Yet I still could not obtain a wage-earning job because I would lose the one thing I needed most: my health-care coverage.
However, after the 77th Texas Legislature, it looks like there may be an end to this dilemma. With the support of state Sen. Eliot Shapleigh and state Rep. Norma Chávez, the Legislature passed the Medicaid Buy-In Program. Disabled individuals will be able to seek a wage-earning job and still maintain health-care coverage by paying a monthly premium.
This legislation is unusual in today's political landscape because it truly serves as a win-win proposition. The state will eventually reduce the amount of funding for health-care benefits to individuals with disabilities, with the individual still maintaining their health-care benefits.
I would like to thank Sen. Shapleigh and Rep. Chávez for their hard work and dedication to issues important to disabled individuals, as well as the
other members of the El Paso delegation for their outstanding efforts in the passage of this life-altering legislation.
We still face a few obstacles. The bill passed pending funding from the federal government and the establishment of three pilot programs within the state. According to Health and Human Service Commissioner Don Gilbert,
Texas applied for a $100 million implementation grant and currently awaits word from Washington regarding the funds.
Meanwhile, the state is deciding where to establish the three pilot programs, with proposed locations in urban, rural and Texas-Mexico border settings. It is my sincere hope that, with the continued support of Sen. Shapleigh and Rep. Chávez, the Health and Human Service Commission will choose El Paso as one of the three initial pilot program areas.
Finally, I want to encourage the El Paso community to speak up and let Austin know our desire to see all El Pasoans with a disability at fair-paying jobs.
- Eric Reed is advocacy coordinator for the Volar Center for Independent Living
