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People With Disabilities, Action Center
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and Alerts
ADA Restoration 2007
DDD closure of
facilities, Democratic Caucus Brief
DDD Assessment, Summary Report
Office of Governor Chris Gregoire
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - October 1, 2007
Contact: Governor's Office, 360-902-4111
Governor Gregoire Will Sue Federal Government Over SCHIP
Gregoire and Gov. Spitzer (NY) say that rule change was illegal; other states to
join suit
OLYMPIA – Governor Chris Gregoire today announced that the state of Washington,
along with several other states, will file a lawsuit against the federal
government to ensure that Washington children continue to have affordable access
to health care. The suit is in response to a letter from the Bush
administration, which arbitrarily imposed new eligibility rules that prevent
states from expanding the SCHIP programs that provide health care for children.
“In Washington, we know that taking care of our kids not only makes good
economic sense, but it is the right thing to do,” said Governor Gregoire. “The
federal government should continue to be a partner, rather than a roadblock, to
our children’s health.”
At stake is the health of 4 million children nationally who remain uninsured.
Under the new rules, Washington and other states would be prohibited from
offering them health care.
Congress created SCHIP, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, in 1997
as a bipartisan measure to provide health care for children, with funding split
between states and the federal government. By providing preventative care and
avoiding more expensive emergency room visits, SCHIP has been successful in
keeping kids healthy and saving money for the state.
The lawsuit comes as a $35 billion bill to expand SCHIP arrives on the
President’s desk after being passed by overwhelming bipartisan majorities in
Congress. The bill would expand health care coverage from 6.6 million children
to more than 10 million children of the working poor, and would be funded by an
increase in cigarette taxes. President Bush has vowed to veto the bill.
The new federal rules which are the subject of the lawsuit were adopted without
the support of Congress and without going through the standard administrative
rulemaking process. The rules forbid states from offering health care to a child
unless the child has already been without healthcare for at least a year, and
would require states to meet participation thresholds for the poorest children
before allowing children from families with slightly higher incomes to access
health care. Whether the rules themselves were adopted by valid procedures is
one question posed by the lawsuit.
Governor Gregoire, along with the governors of 29 other states, previously
requested by letter that the harsh new rules be rescinded. Under state
legislation enacted this year, Washington would expand eligibility for SCHIP to
include families with incomes up to three times the federal poverty level. The
federal poverty level is $20,650 for a family of four. The new federal rules
would prohibit Washington from implementing the state legislation and would
leave many Washington children without access to health care.
Washington will be joined by New York, Maryland, and Illinois in filing suit to
challenge the new requirements. Arizona, New Jersey, New Hampshire and
California have expressed their intention to file supportive amicus briefs.
“Congress has worked hard over the past several weeks to put together a bill
that is in the best interests of our nation’s children,” said New York Governor
Eliot Spitzer. “States have been working together to do the same – making sure
our children get the health care they need. It should be a powerful and
compelling message when the U.S. Congress, States, and the nation’s citizens are
so clearly committed to ensuring that families have access to affordable health
care for their children.”
July, 2007
Stop DSHS
Keep Children Out of Fircrest
Earlier this week, we learned
that DSHS is opening what it calls a temporary "instructional space" for some of
the 18 children admitted to Fircrest over the past several months. The fact that
there are children living there at all is the fundamental problem, and the
problem must be fixed immediately -- especially now that it's being sanctioned
by the opening of a school.
In a tragic case of "build it and they will come," the opening of a school on
the grounds of a state institution sets roots in a system that segregates
individuals with developmental disabilities from society. If nothing else,
everyone can agree that children belong with their families.
At this point, only the Governor can stop DSHS from institutionalizing children.
It will take every one of you to get Governor Gregoire's attention to this
matter. Please take action now. Send a message through our action center today.
Olympia Insider
News and Information on
Developmental Disabilities
Monday, April 23, 2007
They
like us, they really like us
Sunday night, the legislature closed its doors and shut its many
mouths after 105 days of chaos. As it always does, the whole messy,
goopy process sorted itself out because it had to. The end of session
is called sine die, which means never again will the same group of
people come together again. It goes without saying that this is as
much good news as not.
Every year there are new characters, unique twists and a fresh
take on hackneyed storylines. Every year is different, just
like every other year. Lucky for us, the great gods of denial
allow us to forget this reality every January. Some call it
insanity. We call it Monday (or Tuesday... or Wednesday...).
In one of the weirdest sessions
ever, developmental disability issues broke the cycle of
sameness and rose from obscurity. For the first time in
our memory-challenged minds, no one ducked in doorways
when DD advocates approached. Instead, they nodded in
support. Said it was about time. Happy to help. Turns
out, money really does buy happiness.
In the end, budget conferees landed pretty darn
close to the Senate's high standards. The
result: funding for DD services increased by
more than $140 million in total dollars. (For a
breakdown of the numbers, visit the beget page
of our website:
http://www.arcwa.org/state_budget.htm.)
Before it's time to begin working on
next session, remember to give thanks
for this one. A handwritten note to your
legislators goes a long way. Send it
this week. They'll be glad you did.
So long...
As many of you've
already heard, I'm
leaving my post at The
Arc of Washington
State. This is news to
Sue, who had no idea I
worked for her or
answered to anyone.
After 11 years, she's
finally right.
Thus ends my
illustrious
career as the
Olympia Insider.
Thanks for a
wild ride.
Copyright©
2007 The Arc of Washington State. All Rights Reserved
