Words (or Lack Thereof) from Obama and Harkin on CCA

by Dora Raymaker · 2009-06-16 10:20:00 UTC
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people standing in a grassy area holding up signs that say 'In America No One Should Go Without HEALTH CARE'In a letter on June 3 to Senators Edward Kennedy and Max Baucus, President Obama wrote about health care reform from a systems-y and big picture perspective that sounds like it makes a lot of sense, for example, "In short, the status quo is broken, and pouring money into a broken system only perpetuates its inefficiencies."

However, the letter focuses nearly exclusively on general insurance reform and the desire to keep people out of emergency rooms and acute care units--and leaves out any mention of the CCA and long term supports and services. And as commenter Marsha Rose Katz on the JFA post points out, Obama has neglected in his letter the connection between adequate in-home support and keeping people out of emergency situations. This contradicts the idea that a big picture and systems-y perspective is truly in operation. One can't hope to accomplish the kind of reform in Obama's letter without addressing the CCA or long term supports and services. Katz also brings up the fact that continued neglect of CCA or similar bills is in violation of the Olmstead decision.

By contrast, Senator Tom Harkin, who sponsored the CCA and the Community Living Assistance Services and Supports Act (CLASS), has been working to get CCA back onto the agenda. Harkin participated at a rally with disability rights leaders, and was quoted as saying, "As far as I'm concerned, there is no health reform without the Community Choice Act." From the article on Harkin,

Harkin said President Obama is supportive of the Community Choice Act, though he told the senator the cost of the program must be addressed.

"Now we have a president of the United States on our side," he said.

I hope that Harkin is right and the lack of mention of CCA in Obama's letter to Kennedy and Baucus (as well as the sneaky elimination of CCA from the White House agenda) doesn't mean the president has abandoned us. However, time, and more importantly actions, will tell.

Dora Raymaker
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