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Volume 29, Number 1
January 10, 2018
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'Perfect storm' created by new federal tax law
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TWIN CITIES, MN PERMIT NO. 4766 ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
by Access Press staff
Looming cuts to Medicaid and Medicare?
Access to health care through Medicare and Medicaid could be further hampered by looming cuts. “The tax bill awaiting passage in Congress adds to the deficit, will NEW TAX LAWS To page 5
You don't make change by yourself. Don't ever discount what you do on a day-to-day basis. It all matters. randall bachman [f\ FILE PHOTO
The new federal tax law, signed into effect just before Christmas by President Donald Trump, will have disastrous consequences for people with disabilities and the organizations that serve them. The $1.5 trillion tax overhaul is the most sweeping set of changes in decades to federal tax law. Dozens of Minnesota nonprofits, including many groups that serve people with disabilities, weighed in against the law before it was passed by the House and Senate. They criticized the end result of massive benefits to corporations and wealthy Americans, at the expense of many others. The tax cuts are expected to add $1 trillion to the nation’s deficit, putting health care and other critical services in the bullseye for cost savings. Crucial human services support programs including Medicaid, Medicare, Social Security, food programs and other needed supports could soon see themselves in the cross-hairs. The Minnesota Council of Nonprofits, representing more than 2,000 nonprofits, pointed out that the state’s nonprofit community employs nearly 12 percent of Minnesota’s workforce. “The harm caused by this tax proposal will be dramatic, particularly to children, retirees, people with disabilities, workers and families,” said Rebecca Lucero, the council’s public policy director. She called the bill a “perfect storm” for nonprofits. The list of worries about the tax package is long and complex. The Congressional Budget Office analysis forecasts 13 million fewer Americans will receive health coverage because the individual mandate to have health insurance of the Affordable Care Act was repealed. This includes five million fewer people enrolled in Medicaid, with an estimated 12,500 fewer people enrolled in the east metro area of the Twin Cities alone, according to the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation. As fewer younger, healthier people enroll in programs premiums would likely rise for everyone else. Groups that work on housing issues and homelessness predict those struggles will increase as crucial tax credits and programs are eliminated, including the tax exemption for private activity bonds. Hundreds of thousands of potential new affordable housing units could go unbuilt. Businesses that sell medical devices worry about taxes on those needed items if a current exemption isn’t extended.
NEWS DIGEST
The Arc Minnesota's longtime public policy director, Steve Larson, spoke at a 2017 legislative rally. Larson retired in 2017 after many years' service.
The year in review
2017 was a year of challenges for Minnesotans with disabilities Another year is finished, and we look back at all of the things that happened, good and bad. Access Press wishes the best for its readers in 2018.
JANUARY
The 2017 Minnesota Legislature gaveled into session January 3, launching one of the most potentially complex and contentious sessions in recent years. Republican House and Senate leaders and DFLer Gov. Mark Dayton had to
agree on a two-year budget for the state, or face a crippling government shutdown like one in 2011. Everyone had to concur on what to do with a $1.4 billion budget surplus. Minnesotans with disabilities and allies urged state lawmakers to consider spending on programs including Medical Assistance spend-down reform and wage increases to address the growing caregiver shortage. Calls were made for physical improvements at state hospitals and
Attend advocacy training Page 12 Websites offer historical perspectives Page 2 Tracking devices are bill's focus Page 6 Elders face isolation Page 4 The Directory of Organizations is here, with resources you need Page 7-10
YEAR IN REVIEW To page 3
Stracke spent career as a 'True Friend' to many by Jane McClure Many happy campers have Ed Stracke to thank for their memories of summer and winter fun. Stracke stepped down January 1 as president and chief executive officer of True Friends, which provides camping and outdoor experiences for Minnesotans with disabilities. He has spent more than 33 years leading the organization. Stracke’s career with people with disabilities, which began when he was a young man in Iowa, has paralleled sweeping changes in camping and outdoor recreation. It’s work he has enjoyed thoroughly. Now he is ready for a change. “I’ll still be with True Friends, but in more of a fundraising and ambassador role,” Stracke said. The change will also give him more time with family. “I’ve had a great career, but it’s time to retire.” “Guided by his dedication and unwavering support of individuals with disabilities, True Friends has flourished under his leadership,” said True Friends Board of Directors Chair John Bredemus. “We are grateful and humbled by Ed’s commitment over the years.” True Friends is a nonprofit agency providing life-changing experiences that enhance independence and self-esteem for children and adults with disabilities. True Friends’ programs include camp, respite, therapeutic horseback riding, conference and retreat, travel and team building. The programs serve more than 25,000 people each year.
Ed Stracke Stracke said he never imagined himself having such a career. He grew up in the Harlan, Iowa area. He was part of a farming family, one of eight children. After high school he graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in recreation and leisure services. His interests in working with camps and people with disabilities began with a job at Camp Sunnyside. The Des Moines area camp is affiliated with Easter Seals Iowa, the largest and oldest special needs camping center in that state. Working there with campers there set the stage for Stracke’s career. He still has fond memories of young people he worked with. Seeing the positive experience camp was for children with disabilities was
an inspiration, Stracke said. “You saw that the young people had the same opportunities to go camp, to have fun experiences and to make lifelong friends.” His career took him to Minnesota. In 1984 he began working at Friendship Ventures, which was then affiliated with Arc of Minnesota. Camp Friendship began in 1964 as a resort near Annandale, organized by parents of children with disabilities. By January 1986 Stracke was leading Friendship Ventures, after the camp became a separate nonprofit organization. He had a vision to expand the organization, to offer respite services, travel opportunities, conference and retreat experiences, and team building opportunities. Expanding beyond summer and winter camping paid off. Looking back, he said it was important for Friendship Ventures to diversity. “Camping experiences are important but we couldn’t maintain the camps if we didn’t grow as an organization,” Stracke said. Camp Eden Wood was acquired by Friendship Ventures in 1995. That facility was established in 1925 as the Glen Lake Children’s Camp, originally serving as a summer haven for children with tuberculosis. In the late 1950s, Arc of Hennepin County operated the site as Camp Indian Chief for people with developmental disabilities. In 2005, Camp New Hope, near McGregor, merged into Friendship Ventures. The camp was originally STRACKE To page 14