Michigan Conference on Home and Community-Based Waiver Services, 11/14-15/2017

This is from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and the Michigan Association of CMH Boards (MACMHB):

Save the Date:

The Annual Home and Community Based Waiver Conference

November 14 and 15, 2017
Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center
55 South Harrison Road, East Lansing 48823

Registration will be open soon.

FEATURED PROGRAMS

• Children’s Waiver Program (CWP)
• Habilitation Supports Waiver (HSW)
• Autism Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Benefit

Conference Objective: This conference will provide technical assistance and training on the implementation and maintenance of the Children’s Waiver Program (CWP) and the Habilitation Supports Waiver (HSW) [this is the Waiver program for people with developmental disabilities], clinical issues, and administrative functions relevant to these waivers. Additionally, this conference will provide training in ASD, evidence based services, highlight programs across the state, and provide technical assistance on implementation of the Medicaid/MIChild Autism Benefit.

Who Should Attend: This conference contains content appropriate for case managers, supports coordinators, clinicians, behavior analysts, administrative staff, providers, autism coordinators, people receiving services and family members and social workers at all levels of practice (beginning, intermediate and/or advanced).

Special Rate: 

A special $20 conference rate will be offered for people receiving waiver services and their family members. A limited number of scholarships are available to people who receive services and their families. Scholarships may cover registration fees, overnight rooms, travel expenses, meals and child care. Deadline to request scholarship: October 1, 2017. (Form is attached to this message).

Continuing Education Credits for Licensed Social Workers: The Michigan Association of Community Mental Health Boards (MACMHB), provider #1140, is approved as a provider for social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) www.aswb.org, through the Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. MACMHB maintains responsibility for the program. ASWB Approval Period: 10/10/2016 to 10/10/2019. Social workers should contact their regulatory board to determine course approval. Course Delivery Method: Face to Face Conference. Exact hours are pending.

Overnight Accommodations/Directions: The Kellogg Hotel & Conference Center is located in East Lansing adjacent to Michigan State University. Our special guestroom rate is $80 per night plus tax. For specific directions or to reserve a room, please call 517/432-4000 and mention that you are attending the C-Waiver Conference the discount code is 1711DCH&MA. The deadline for room discounts is October 14.

Conference Brochure and Registration Materials: Conference details and registration will be available on our website, www.macmhb.org - if you have any questions, please call (517) 374-6848.

Anne Wilson, Training and Meeting Planner
Michigan Association of Community Mental Health Boards
426 S. Walnut Street, Lansing, MI 48933
(517) 374-6848 phone
(517) 374-1053 fax
www.macmhb.org
awilson@macmhb.org

Kaiser Health News on the effort to replace Obamacare

A renewed effort to replace Obamacare is moving forward, but this time there is a shorter time-limit for passage. The proposed Graham-Cassidy bill in the U.S. Senate could pass by September 30th, 2017 with a simple majority of votes, but after October 1st, 2017, the beginning of the new fiscal year, the Republicans would need 60 votes to pass the bill under Senate rules. Based on the unpopularity of previous bills this year to Replace and Repeal Obamacare, this would very likely be an insurmountable obstacle for passage.

Here is an excerpt from an article in Kaiser Health News (KHN), "Last-Ditch Effort By Republicans to Replace ACA: 5 Things You Need to Know" by Julie Rovner, 9/19/17:
...

Here are five things to know about the latest GOP bill: 

1. It would repeal most of the structure of the ACA.

The Graham-Cassidy proposal would eliminate the federal insurance exchange, healthcare.gov, along with the subsidies and tax credits that help people with low and moderate incomes — and small businesses — pay for health insurance and associated health costs. It would eliminate penalties for individuals who fail to obtain health insurance and employers who fail to provide it.

It would eliminate the tax on medical devices.

2. It would eliminate many of the popular insurance protections, including those for people with preexisting conditions, in the health law.

Under the proposal, states could “waive” rules in the law requiring insurers to provide a list of specific “essential health benefits” and mandating that premiums be the same for people regardless of their health status. That would once again expose people with preexisting health conditions to unaffordable or unavailable coverage. Republicans have consistently said they wanted to maintain these protections, which polls have shown to be popular among voters.

3. It would fundamentally restructure the Medicaid program.

Medicaid, the joint-federal health program for low-income people, currently covers more than 70 million Americans. The Graham-Cassidy proposal would end the program’s expansion under the ACA and cap funding overall, and it would redistribute the funds that had provided coverage for millions of new Medicaid enrollees. It seeks to equalize payments among states. States that did not expand Medicaid and were getting fewer federal dollars for the program would receive more money and states that did expand would see large cuts, according to the bill’s own sponsors. For example, Oklahoma would see an 88 percent increase from 2020 to 2026, while Massachusetts would see a 10 percent cut.

The proposal would also bar Planned Parenthood from getting any Medicaid funding for family planning and other reproductive health services for one year, the maximum allowed under budget rules governing this bill.

4. It’s getting mixed reviews from the states.

Sponsors of the proposal hoped for significant support from the nation’s governors as a way to help push the bill through. But, so far, the governors who are publicly supporting the measure, including Scott Walker (R-Wis.) and Doug Ducey (R-Ariz.), are being offset by opponents including Chris Sununu (R-N.H.), John Kasich (R-Ohio) and Bill Walker (I-Alaska).

On Tuesday 10 governors — five Democrats, four Republicans and Walker — sent a letterto Senate leaders urging them to pursue a more bipartisan approach. “Only open, bipartisan approaches can achieve true, lasting reforms,” said the letter.

Bill sponsor Cassidy was even taken to task publicly by his own state’s health secretary. Dr. Rebekah Gee, who was appointed by Louisiana’s Democratic governor, wrote that the bill “uniquely and disproportionately hurts Louisiana due to our recent [Medicaid] expansion and high burden of extreme poverty.”

5. The measure would come to the Senate floor with the most truncated process imaginable.

The Senate is working on its Republican-only plans under a process called “budget reconciliation,” which limits floor debate to 20 hours and prohibits a filibuster. In fact, all the time for floor debate was used up in July, when Republicans failed to advance any of several proposed overhaul plans. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) could bring the bill back up anytime, but senators would immediately proceed to votes. Specifically, the next order of business would be a process called “vote-a-rama,” where votes on the bill and amendments can continue, in theory, as long as senators can stay awake to call for them.

Several senators, most notably John McCain, who cast the deciding vote to stop the process in July, have called for “regular order,” in which the bill would first be considered in the relevant committee before coming to the floor. The Senate Finance Committee, which Democrats used to write most of the ACA, has scheduled a hearing for next week. But there is not enough time for full committee consideration and a vote before the end of next week.

Meanwhile, the Congressional Budget Office said in a statement Tuesday that it could come up with an analysis by next week that would determine whether the proposal meets the requirements to be considered under the reconciliation process. But it said that more complicated questions like how many people would lose insurance under the proposal or what would happen to insurance premiums could not be answered “for at least several weeks.”

That has outraged Democrats, who are united in opposition to the measure.

“I don’t know how any senator could go home to their constituents and explain why they voted for a major bill with major consequences to so many of their people without having specific answers about how it would impact their state,” said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) on the Senate floor Tuesday.

Kaiser Health News, a nonprofit health newsroom whose stories appear in news outlets nationwide, is an editorially independent part of the Kaiser Family Foundation.

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Ann Arbor, MI, Fitness Program for DD

This is from an Intentional Communities of Washtenaw (ICW) email newsletter:

Consider the Movers and Shakers Program

...The goal of this program is to provide an environment where adults with disabilities (18 years of age and older) can build cardiovascular fitness and muscular strength and endurance. Enrollment for Movers and Shakers includes 8, 90-minute sessions, hosted at the Meri Lou Recreational Center in Ann Arbor in partnership with Parks and Recreation of Ann Arbor.

Every participants works with their very own coach, 1:1 ratio, with a dedicated pre-medical or kinesiology student. The program fee is $300 per semester but scholarships are available to anyone in need.The FALL SEMESTER begins September 26th. For registration information and contact info, CLICK HERE .

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Find out more about the organization providing this program and similar programs for children and adults with special needs:

LightUpNow

"It is LightUp’s mission to develop exceptional research-informed programs and to make these programs accessible to those who need them the most.

"LightUp strives to create an open, supportive, and fun environment for individuals with special needs to actively participate within their community, develop meaningful ongoing relationships, and ultimately improve their overall health, happiness, and life satisfaction.

"We work in collaboration with Sunfield Center, our affiliated mental health organization to advocate and provide high quality programs for individuals with special needs within our community."