Intelligent Lives Page 12
Volume 30, Number 4
April 10, 2019
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by Access Press staff
PROVIDER TAX To page 5
"Kindess is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see." Mark Twain ARRM/MATTY LANG
NEWS DIGEST
Disability Services Day at the capitol drew a large crowd. One focus was pay for direct support staff.
Legislature reaches mid-point, but much remains unfinished by Jane McClure As the mid-point of the Minnesota Legislature’s 2019 session passed, dozens of bills supported by the disability community are at very different stages. As Access Press went to press, many efforts were still moving ahead, either in omnibus bills or as separate legislation. But for others, the cry of “wait until next
year” has already been heard. The largest of the disability advocacy rallies wrapped up in March, including Disability Services Day at the Capitol. The event, hosted by the umbrella groups ARRM and MOHR, drew a massive crowd of advocates from around the state March 12. Advocates, with dozens of banners from their organizations, line all LEGISLATURE To page 5
Light a candle Page 2 Special Olympics spared Page 6 Twenty years' service Page 13 Directory of Organizations is here Pages 7-10
Building a system is mental health focus by Access Press staff In 2017, 783 Minnesotans died by suicide. Reversing that trend is one of many goals for Minnesota mental health advocates this legislative session. But it will take building a mental health system that works for the state’s residents and addresses a wide array of mental health needs and issues. “The mental health system isn’t broken,” said National Alliance for the Mentally Ill (NAMI) Minnesota Executive Director Sue Abderholden. “It was never built.” Busloads of mental health advocates from around the state flocked to the capitol March 14 for Mental Health Day on the Hill, filling a church for an information session and then packing the capitol rotunda to hear from legislators and leadership. One recurring theme was that mental illness doesn’t define people, but their strength and courage does. What struck many people at the capitol rally was the number of legislators who drew on their own family’s experiences with mental health issues. One powerful message is that as mental health awareness and efforts to reduce the stigma of mental illness have gone on, issues are discussed more openly. Sen. Julie Rosen (R-Vernon Center) has been a state lawmaker since 2002. “And then you did not talk about mental health,” Rosen said. “But it was always there.” Speaking openly about mental health and mental health program needs is the way to get those needs taken care of. Rosen and other lawmakers said they want to help. “Please do not give up on
NAMI MINNESOTA
Don’t let the sun set on Minnesota’s health care provider tax. A Preserve the Provider Tax rally March 21 at the capitol drew dozens of advocates determined to save the tax, which funds critical health care programs. The rally was organized by the coalition This is Medicaid. Selfadvocates, doctors and legislators were joined by Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan in the call for the tax to continue. The two percent tax on medical bills and hospital stays was created 27 years ago by state legislators to pay for MinnesotaCare and other health care programs for low-income people. The programs serve about 1.5 million people. That tax generates more than $600 million per year. The two percent tax will expire at the end of 2019, unless it is extended. Walz and House DFLers are determined to save the tax but are running into staunch opposition from the Republican-controlled Senate. Walz told the crowd he is “not willing to compromise peoples’ health for the sake of some fake bipartisanship.” He said tax foes need to step aside “and all ow us to continue to do the right thing.” Supporters contend that the tax is the time-tested way to fund needed health care programs. Most states have a similar tax in place. With one in five Minnesotans using Medical Assistance or MinnesotaCare programs, the tax is needed to provide health care access for all. They want the debate framed as one about health care needs, and not as a focus on taxes. Patsy Murphy has had epilepsy since infancy. She also lives with a traumatic brain injury sustained in a fall at age 26. In 1991, doctors said she would live in a persistent vegetative state. But she has been able to get needed care and rehabilitation services and remain active in her community. “Medicaid has been a lifesaver for me,” Murphy said. “It’s important for people with disabilities to have care when they need it.” Riley Schumacher lives with Common Variable Immune Deficiency, a disorder that impairs the immune system. His parents had to fight for his health care needs, while hoping he’d make it to adulthood. He’s now a student, starting his own business. “This is all because of the provider tax.” Schumacher receives Medical Assistance now, which covers very costly, needed medications. “We shouldn’t put people in costly and dangerous situations,” he said. “I constantly worry that I might lose my coverage … Let’s create a future where everyone has what they need to thrive, and not just survive.” Flanagan spoke of being a child with asthma. “Medicaid saved my life,” she said. “Access to health care is a basic human right,” said Walz. Continuing the tax is “morally and ethnically right.” The state tax becomes more important with the threats at the
Mental health advocates from around Minnesota brought their message of hope and support to Mental Health Day on the Hill. us because we haven’t given up on you,” she said. One message from several advocates is that people who live with mental illness, or who care about someone with a mental illness, need state lawmakers and Gov. Tim Walz’s administration to address mental health needs in a multi-faceted way. Although many mental health-related bills are in the hopper this session, leaders emphasize that it is difficult to set priorities when there are so many pressing needs. That’s why so many different issues are being brought
forward as a group. Shannah Mulvihill, executive director of Mental Health Minnesota, said there are some encouraging signs this session, as bills have met a positive response. Still, leaders said that advocates need to continue to contact state lawmakers and share their stories. Walz included suicide prevention as a focus in his budget proposal. House and Senate members have been receptive to many proposals brought forward. MENTAL HEALTH To page 4