06-06-2005, 02:25 PM
http://www.citizensvoice.com/site/news.c...5154&rfi=6
===================
(bold mine)
06/04/2005
State DPW secretary holds public forum in Pittston Township
By Denise Allabaugh , Staff Writer
State Department of Public Welfare Secretary Estelle Richman heard from many parents of autistic children who are concerned about paying higher premiums for services Friday.
Advertisement
The state found a "loophole" to allow more than 38,000 children with autism and other disabilities into the Medicaid program, she said.
With rising Medicaid costs, Gov. Ed Rendell proposed these parents pay premiums to contribute to their children's care.
Richman addressed this proposal at a forum Friday at the Victoria Inns and Suites in Pittston Township.
The state has not settled on the amount of premiums. Pennsylvania is the only state that offers the program, Richman said.
"This is an extremely difficult budget year," Richman said. "This is a budget of shared sacrifice. I think most of us have been calling it shared pain."
Tara McHale of Clarks Summit, whose 12-year-old daughter, Samantha, has autism, asked why parents did not have public input on the proposal.
Richman responded the state has a $1.5 billion deficit and there are no plans for new taxes. The state has a "limited amount of money," she said. To balance the budget, she said something has to be cut.
"There's nothing you can cut in the DPW budget that someone else doesn't stand up and say don't take my money," Richman said. "We are in the middle of a health care crisis in this country. Medicaid costs continue to outpace state revenue growth."
George Shadie, president of SAFE (Supporting Autism and Families Everywhere), told Richman how beneficial services have been for his 15-year-old son, Alex, who has autism.
When there was a fire at Shadie's Plymouth Township home Thursday, Alex ran outside and screamed, "Smoke, smoke, smoke," he said.
"Thanks to him learning how to speak, our house was safe," Shadie said. "We were told he would never speak and he would be institutionalized."
Richman spoke in support of more funding for research for autism, which, she said, has become an "epidemic." She also supports more programs, so the disorder can be diagnosed early.
"If we could get more diagnoses at 18 months, we will hear more stories like this. Unfortunately, there are too many diagnoses closer to age 5," Richman said. "The worst thing for a child with this disability is to tell a parent to wait and watch. You can cause undo pain if you wait."
Many parents nodded in agreement when Richman said, "If the child has anything but autism, private insurance would cover it."
Before taking questions from the audience for one hour, Richman outlined slides showing the number of children entering the welfare system is going up in all areas.
"We are doing a pretty lousy job protecting children," Richman said. "The number of children in juvenile detention centers is skyrocketing. The number of children abused and neglected continues to rise. Yet, we are pouring hundreds of millions of dollars every year into programs. What happened to all the money if nobody is getting better? That's my question."
Richman spoke in favor of programs to prevent children from entering the welfare system.
One of the most successful programs is the Nurse-Family Partnership Program, in which a nurse visits the homes of low-income moms, she said.
Beth Beh, CEO of Maternal and Family Health Services, thanked Richman for supporting the program.
"The outcomes we had with this program in Lackawanna and Wayne counties outdo the state and national outcomes," Beh said.
===================
(bold mine)
06/04/2005
State DPW secretary holds public forum in Pittston Township
By Denise Allabaugh , Staff Writer
State Department of Public Welfare Secretary Estelle Richman heard from many parents of autistic children who are concerned about paying higher premiums for services Friday.
Advertisement
The state found a "loophole" to allow more than 38,000 children with autism and other disabilities into the Medicaid program, she said.
With rising Medicaid costs, Gov. Ed Rendell proposed these parents pay premiums to contribute to their children's care.
Richman addressed this proposal at a forum Friday at the Victoria Inns and Suites in Pittston Township.
The state has not settled on the amount of premiums. Pennsylvania is the only state that offers the program, Richman said.
"This is an extremely difficult budget year," Richman said. "This is a budget of shared sacrifice. I think most of us have been calling it shared pain."
Tara McHale of Clarks Summit, whose 12-year-old daughter, Samantha, has autism, asked why parents did not have public input on the proposal.
Richman responded the state has a $1.5 billion deficit and there are no plans for new taxes. The state has a "limited amount of money," she said. To balance the budget, she said something has to be cut.
"There's nothing you can cut in the DPW budget that someone else doesn't stand up and say don't take my money," Richman said. "We are in the middle of a health care crisis in this country. Medicaid costs continue to outpace state revenue growth."
George Shadie, president of SAFE (Supporting Autism and Families Everywhere), told Richman how beneficial services have been for his 15-year-old son, Alex, who has autism.
When there was a fire at Shadie's Plymouth Township home Thursday, Alex ran outside and screamed, "Smoke, smoke, smoke," he said.
"Thanks to him learning how to speak, our house was safe," Shadie said. "We were told he would never speak and he would be institutionalized."
Richman spoke in support of more funding for research for autism, which, she said, has become an "epidemic." She also supports more programs, so the disorder can be diagnosed early.
"If we could get more diagnoses at 18 months, we will hear more stories like this. Unfortunately, there are too many diagnoses closer to age 5," Richman said. "The worst thing for a child with this disability is to tell a parent to wait and watch. You can cause undo pain if you wait."
Many parents nodded in agreement when Richman said, "If the child has anything but autism, private insurance would cover it."
Before taking questions from the audience for one hour, Richman outlined slides showing the number of children entering the welfare system is going up in all areas.
"We are doing a pretty lousy job protecting children," Richman said. "The number of children in juvenile detention centers is skyrocketing. The number of children abused and neglected continues to rise. Yet, we are pouring hundreds of millions of dollars every year into programs. What happened to all the money if nobody is getting better? That's my question."
Richman spoke in favor of programs to prevent children from entering the welfare system.
One of the most successful programs is the Nurse-Family Partnership Program, in which a nurse visits the homes of low-income moms, she said.
Beth Beh, CEO of Maternal and Family Health Services, thanked Richman for supporting the program.
"The outcomes we had with this program in Lackawanna and Wayne counties outdo the state and national outcomes," Beh said.