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New Jersey's Disabled Communities are a rally for federal Medicaid reductions
Hundreds gathered at Statehouse annex Thursday to protest federal Medicaid cuts.
Stacey Moore, a quadriplegic living in a nursing home in New Jersey, advocates for an increased personal needs for Medicaid recipients for long-term care. Passage. The bill has been approved by the first committee, but is awaiting further legislative action in the face of potential budget constraints.
I was raised in a hardworking family and was taught that if I wanted something, I should work for it. I got a working paper at age 14 and couldn't wait to make my own money. That was how I lived my life.
Then in 2007, I suffered a spinal cord injury at the age of 44 and became quadriplegic. I went to a nursing home. For the first time in my life, I was poor.
Many people don't understand how the system works. Medicaid residents – most of us really don't benefit us.
Medicaid pays directly to nursing homes. Even if we had income from Social Security (what we paid when we were working), we don't keep the money. It goes to a nursing home. Medicaid residents earn small incomes, known as individual needs allowances.
When I first moved to a nursing home, the PNA was $35 a month. I was part of a group that worked a few years ago to raise it to $50 a month. Still, $50 wasn't enough.
It is a common misconception that nursing homes provide everything their residents need. This is far from the truth.
Of the $50 a month I received, nursing homes cost nearly $10 to rent a landline. I like to accomplish my hair from time to time. That's another $10. Then I need to buy my needs, clothes, shoes, food, supplements.
Medicaid, New Jersey recipients need greater support
$50 won't go far. In my opinion, New Jersey is the best state of the best countries in the world, but we are one of the most expensive states we live in. Residents don't want to ask their families for help. This vulnerable economy appears to be constantly rising in cost of living.
So I worked with Rep. Christopher Deplips and his staff to draft the bill (New Jersey Assembly Bill A3908/Senate Bill S3319) when I increased my monthly PNA to $140. My original proposal for the bill was to be based on the PNA based on the federal benefit rates that are captured in January each year. The idea was that PNAs would increase with the cost of living and residents wouldn't have to do this again in a few years.
When I started this quest, I felt like I was alone. I made hundreds of calls and sent hundreds of emails. After that, I began to see how many others were working for the same goal. Other residents and their families have been signed and reaching out to lawmakers, with many organisations supporting the bill.
The A3908/S3319 has been unanimously approved by the Congressional Aging and Human Services Committee and the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Committee. Next, you will need to vote for S3319 on the Senate Budget and Approvals Committee. I also urge residents to reach out to Chair Craig Cofflin and Chairman of the Approval Committee, Rep. Lisa Swain, and to submit an A3908 for the vote.
I'm keeping up with this news, but I know there's a lot of talk about changes to Medicaid and what this might be a difficult budget year for New Jersey. However, I handled accounting and budgeting throughout my entire career. We've always found money for things that matter.
Giving residents a higher PNA is one of these important things.
Long-term care residents are the key initiatives to increase their PNA with technical support from the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Community Engagement Program. If you would like to connect with residents and families working on this initiative, please contact Community Engagement at 609-690-4740 or community@ltco.nj.gov.
Stacy Moore, a resident of Passaic County Nursing Home, is the leader in resident-led efforts to increase Medicaid's personal needs allowance.
