Medicaid ‘unwinding’ decried as biased against disabled people
Jacqueline Saa has a genetic condition that leaves her unable to stand and walk on her own or hold a job. Every weekday for four years, Saa, 43, has relied on a home health aide to help her cook, bathe and dress, go to the doctor, pick up medications and accomplish other daily tasks.
She received coverage through Florida’s Medicaid program until it abruptly stopped at the end of March, she said.
“Every day the anxiety builds,” said Saa, who lost her home health aide for 11 days, starting April 1, despite being eligible. The state has since restored Saa’s home health aide service, but during the gap she leaned on her mother and her 23- and 15-year-old daughters while struggling to regain her Medicaid benefits.
“It’s just so much to worry about,” said Saa, who lives in Davie. “This is a healthcare system that’s supposed to help.”
Medicaid’s home and communitybased services are designed to help people who have disabilities and need help with everyday activities stay out of a nursing facility. But people are losing benefits with little or no notice, getting bad advice when they call for information and facing major disruptions in care while they wait for the issue to get sorted out, according to attorneys and advocates who are hearing from patients.
In Colorado, Texas and Washington, D.C., the National Health Law Program, a nonprofit that advocates for low-income and underserved people, has filed civil-rights complaints with two federal agencies alleging discrimination against people with disabilities. The group has not filed a lawsuit in Florida, though its attorneys say they’ve