January 2008
I went to the doctor for an x-ray the other day after someone parked their power wheelchair on my foot. I explained that I have cerebral palsy and I thought I should have an x-ray just to be on the safe side. The clinician started to take my medical history and asked me to explain my deficits. Deficits? I responded, very tempted to smack him for using that term in reference to my disability. It never ceases to amaze me that in a society so advanced, some people still have such a hard time seeing people with disabilities as people, not a collection of symptoms or worse yet of DEFICITS.
I was reminded of that experience when I heard the justification for the Governor’s O8-09 budget proposals for our California’s $14.5 billion deficit. Please note the correct use of the term deficit there. Keep in mind that the Governor declared a fiscal emergency this year that allows him to make so-called mid-year spending reductions which are cuts to the budget for the current year of 07-08.
There are several cuts that will impact people with disabilities. Here is a brief summary of just a few of them. For an analysis of the Governor’s Budget Proposal visit the California Budget Project web site at www.cbp.org
Medi-Cal
- A reduction in payments to Medi-Cal providers by 10%
- Elimination of adult dental benefits and other benefits including acupuncture, audiology, optometry, optical, chiropractic, podiatry, psychology, speech therapy and incontinence creams and washes.
In Home Supportive Services (IHSS)
- An 18% cut to hours for IHSS domestic services including meal preparation, laundry and errands
- A 10 % cut in the funds that Counties receive to run this program
Supplemental Security Income/ State Supplementary Payment (SSI/SSP)
- Suspension of the State’s June 2008 and June 2009 Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA)s
The Governor has touted the fairness of these cuts, saying that because all State departments will be cut by 10%, all Californians will share the impact equally. This analysis totally ignores the fact that many people with disabilities use more than one State program and so will potentially face multiple impacts. Someone whose Medi-Cal benefits are cut, whose In Home Supportive Services hours are reduced and who does not receive their SSI/SSP COLA will definitely feel the budget cuts more than someone who does not use State programs or even someone who faces only one cut.
Just as people are not just their disabilities they are not just costs either. The Governor’s proposals ignore the human costs that are inherent in cuts to social services. There is a human cost associated with a cut to Medi-Cal. When you cut health benefits all you do is delay appropriate care so illnesses and injuries get worse. Medi-Cal recipients that don’t get preventative adult dental care will eventually end up in the emergency room at a much higher cost to the State.
Thankfully, the Governor’s budget is just a proposal. We still have the opportunity to tell our Legislators about the human costs of cutting these invaluable programs. I would like to hear your story and talk with you about how we can work together. Contact me about the CCCIL Budget Cuts Story Bank. Call (831) 757-2968 or email ddallimore@cccil.org