An Open Letter on Proposed Medicaid Cuts

From Linda Timmons, President and CEO, Mosaic

Nebraskans with disabilities and other diverse needs who rely on Medicaid for services aren’t just faces in a newspaper ad, on a bus bench, or on a billboard—though that might be what brought you to this letter. They are real people, with real needs, hopes and dreams.

Consider for a moment that you are a person with a disability that makes daily tasks very challenging or even impossible to manage alone and your aging parents are having a harder time providing you with the care you require with each passing day. They lie awake at night, worrying about what will happen to you when they’re gone.

Who will take care of you? Will you have the support you need to thrive? Will you be safe? And perhaps most importantly, will you be happy?

For many individuals and families, this isn’t hypothetical, it’s their reality, and it’s why we’re so passionate about what we do at Mosaic. We provide services that empower people with disabilities to live fulfilling lives and provide peace of mind to families.

Our services are 96% Medicaid funded. For the 5,000 people we serve nationwide, including nearly 450 Nebraskans, Medicaid is a lifeline.

However, it is not uncommon to meet people, even family members, guardians, donors and supporters of the people we serve, who may not even realize that the services their loved ones receive are Medicaid funded. That is understandable, given the complexity of the Medicaid system.

Yet, I believe the first step in advocating to preserve Medicaid is understanding how it works. Please allow me to share a few facts you may not know about Mosaic, Medicaid, and people with disabilities:

• Services for people with disabilities are the largest expense of the Medicaid program because oftentimes they require long-term care. Long-term care is not typically covered by Medicare or private health insurance and is too expensive for most individuals and families to afford, even with full-time employment.

• Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) are almost exclusively funded through Medicaid. Through HCBS, people with functional limitations receive assistance with daily activities, such as dressing or bathing, in a home instead of an institution. Not only do community-based services usually cost much less than state institutional settings, they often provide people served with more consistency, a deeper sense of community involvement, and more choice about how and with whom they spend their days. While Mosaic still provides traditional group home services, including here in Nebraska, the majority of our organization’s offerings are HCBS.

• Medicaid is jointly funded by the federal government and state governments. If Medicaid is cut back at the federal level, it causes more strain on state governments to find new sources of funding. If new funding cannot be found, optional services like HCBS for people with disabilities are likely to be reduced or eliminated, leading to higher state institutionalization rates or leaving families left without support that is truly necessary.

These facts highlight the need to preserve Medicaid. Visit MosaicAlliedVoices.org to advocate for people with disabilities and other diverse needs. It’s the right thing to do, and Mosaic has always been an organization that prides itself on doing the right thing.

Here we stand. Will you join us?