THE DERBY CITY NSCIA NEWSLETTER

Message From the President

Dear Members & Friends-

    Our speaker this month will be Stuart Cohen from Invacare Corporation. He will speak about a variety of their products, including Custom Manual and Power chairs. Food and drink will be provided at the meeting. I hope everyone can attend what is sure to be an interesting and informative meeting.
    In September we will have our annual picnic at Camp Crooked Creek. Directions will be provided in next month's newsletter.

- David Allgood

The following is from the Internet's AP site,
July 15, 2205
GOVERNORS MEET ON MEDICAID REFORM

One woman visited the emergency room four times rather than pay a $1 fee for her insulin. That way she could get it for free. Another found herself choosing between diapers for her grandchildren or medicine for her diabetes and heart problems. She, too, ended up in the hospital, treated by Dr. Kevin Larsen, a specialist in internal medicine in Minneapolis.

    Larsen offered the two cases as examples of how some of the poorest patients were effected by Minnesota's decision to impose small co-pays for its Medicaid population two years ago. The fees—$3 for a brand name drug and $1 for a generic drug –hardly seem high, Larsen says, but they made the drugs unaffordable.

    "It's really incredible the little, tiny bits of disposable income that these patients have and how big a chunk that these seemingly marginal, nominal pays take out of that disposable income," he said.

    As the nation's governors grapple with the soaring costs of Medicaid, they're eying copayments—patient's contribution to the cost of health care. At their meeting this weekend in Des Moines, Iowa, the governors are expected to recommend an easing of recommendations will carry great influence as Congress

federal rules limiting what states can charge recipients.

    The federal government must sign off in shifting more of the costs to patients, but the governors' recseeks to reduce Medicaid spending by $10 billion over the next five years. This year, states and the federal government will spend about $329 billion on Medicaid, which serves about 53 million people.

    The cost-sharing proposals are perhaps the most controversial of the recommendations, but among governors themselves, both Republican and Democratic, there is overwhelming support, said GOP Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas, the incoming chairman of the National Governor's Association.

    "We all came to the conclusion that the only way to save it is to make it a more efficient, responsible program," Huckabee said in an interview with the Associated Press. "If nothing else, we're just asking that they give us a chance to implement this. They can always go back and say, `You guys screwed it up. It's not working for these poor families.' But we've got a track record on welfare reform, and I think we can develop a track record on Medicaid reform."

    States, within limits, can require some beneficiaries to share in the costs of their health care. Typically, the co-payments limits range between 50 cents to $3 per service.

    And some segments of the population are pretty much exempt from cost-sharing requirements altogether, including people living in nursing homes or other institutions, children, pregnant women, and people receiving hospice care.

    Also, even if beneficiaries are charged a co-pay but

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THE DERBY CITY NSCIA NEWSLETTER

Derby City Area Chapter
of the
National Spinal Cord Injury Association

ABOUT THE ORGANIZATION

The Derby City Area Chapter of the N.S.C.I.A. is a membership organization for individuals with spinal cord injuries, their families, and health professionals. Founded in 1984 as a Charter Member of the N.S.C.I.A., it was incorporated under IRS Section 501 (c) 3 as a not for profit organization. The Board of Directors consists of the Officers, Past President and the Board Members At Large.

***

OFFICERS

PRESIDENT
David Allgood - (502) 589-6620

VICE PRESIDENT
Adam Ford - (502) 425-2206

TREASURER
Tom Stokes- (502) 957-5865

LIAISON TO FRAZIER INSTITUTE
Dr. Bill Kraft – (502) 582-5865

FUNDRAISING CHAIR
Betty Perry—(502) 647-0368

CORRESPONDING SECRETARY/WEB MASTER
Michael Feger- (502) 647-0368

PAST PRESIDENT
Adam Ford- (502) 425-2206

BOARD MEMBERS AT LARGE-
Mike Perry
Kelly Young

NSCIA
DERBY CITY CHAPTER
NEWSLETTER

Editor- Barbara Davis

Contributor- David Allgood

GOVERNOR'S MEETINGON MEDICAID CONT'D

decline to pay it, providers cannot withhold care.

    The governors say the rules have not been updated since 1982 and prevent Medicaid from utilizing the kind of market forces that promote personal responsibility. They promise that any change will limit co-payments to no more that 5 percent of a recipient's income.

    Huckabee insists that an overwhelming number of Medicaid recipients want to pay something for the care they receive, saying such cost-sharing was well received by participants in his state's separate health insurance program for children. All states have such federally subsidized programs for children from families with incomes that are too great for Medicaid but not enough for private insurance.

    Liberal groups maintain that it's not fair to compare the Medicaid population to the children's health insurance population. Medicaid enrollees often are in poorer health and have much lower incomes, so low that even nominal increases become extraordinary barriers, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities said in one report.

    Huckabee said the groups predicting a health care disaster for the poor because of a greater cost-sharing are the same groups that predicted welfare reforms would result in long bread lines.

    "I sometimes have a problem with wealthy people telling me what it's like to be poor," the governor said.
    A study in this month's Health Affairs, a health policy journal, showed Medicaid recipients dropping out of the program when premiums and co-pays were increased in Oregon two years ago.

    Oregon enacted monthly premiums of $6 to $20 for couples in the program and co-pays of $5 for a doctor's visit and $50 for an emergency room visit. Strict rules were put in place to lock out for six months those who missed a monthly payment.

    The program's rolls dropped from about 89,000 to about 48,000. Researchers said that about half the drop could be attributed to the higher fees. Those who dropped out for reasons unrelated to cost-sharing mainly had earned wages that disqualified them from the program.

    "Although some proponents of cost sharing argue that even the very poor can pay a few dollars a month in premiums, our findings suggest otherwise," the researchers said.

    Democrats and some Republicans in Congress oppose more cost-sharing, though they note that they support some of the other recommendations from the governors, such as reducing what states pay for prescription drug

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THE DERBY CITY NSCIA NEWSLETTER

Refrigerator Calendar
*2005

AUGUST

  1st  -  Elderly & Disabled Advisory Council Meeting
Mon    1:00-2:30 p.m.; TARC; 1000 W. Broadway; Board Room.
            As this is a holiday, call for alternate date.

15th  -  NSCIADerbyCity Area Chapter meeting 6:30 p.m. Frazier Rehab
Mon    4th floor dining hall; speaker to be announced. Call Barb or David at 589-6620.

20th -  Metro disAbility Coalition Meeting; 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.; PVA Office on Goss Avenue.
Sat      Speaker to be announced; if questions, contact Terri Leasor at 589-6620 or at mdclouky.org

SEPTEMBER

  5th  - Elderly & Disabled Advisory Council Meeting
Mon   1:00-2:30 p.m.; TARC; 1000 W. Broadway; Board Room.

18th - Picnic at Camp Crooked Creek. Directions to picnic and more information
Sun    on date and time provided in next month's newsletter.

17th  - Metro disAbility Coalition Meeting; 1 p.m. – 3 p.m.; PVA Office on Goss Avenue.
Sat     Speaker to be announced; if questions contact Terri Leasor at 589-6620 or mdclouky.org

For More Information Call
David Allgood, 502-589-6620

THE DERBY CITY NSCIA NEWSLETTER

The following are from newmobility.com, July 2005. –ed

STADIUM SEATING SUIT SETTLED

    Regal Entertainment Group signed a consent agreement with the Department of Justice requiring all future stadium –style movie theaters to place wheelchair seating near the center of the theater. In addition, other existing stadium-style theaters will be retrofitted by moving wheelchair seating as far away from the screen as possible without major reconstruction. Regal, the largest movie theater chain in the nation, operates over 3,500 screens.
    "Opening everyday activities like a night at a movie theater to persons with disabilities is a core goal of the Americans with Disabilities Act," said R. Alexander Acosta, assistant attorney general for the Civil Rights division. "Today's agreement is another step toward making the ADA's promise a reality for thousands of Americans."
    The lawsuit was originally filed against Hoyts Cinemas by the U.S. Attorney's Office in December 2000 in Boston, for the District of Massachusetts, based on private complaints filed with the DOJ. Regal acquired the lawsuit along with most of the former Hoyts movie theaters in 2004. This consent decree is not related to the Supreme Court decision upholding lower court rulings against Regal and Cinemark last year.

LANDMARK HOUSING SETTLEMENT

    A record $1.4 million settlement was settled upon by the developers of San Diego's Renaissance Complex and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The complex was not built to be accessible, which put the development out of compliance with the federal Fair Housing Act. Multi-family housing built to be occupied after March 13, 1992, must meet accessibility guidelines.
    The case involved Michael Felchin, who bought a condo in the luxury complex in December 2002. He paid $15,000 of his own money to make his home accessible. He filed a complaint with HUD three months after he moved in, saying the developer would not cooperate with him on making the necessary changes.
    "I felt that if there was a problem in my unit, it could be in the units of other people who use mobility aids and it would be a challenge for them as well," said Felchin in the San Diego Union-Tribune. "I hope this reminds contractors and builders that there are accessibility guidelines on the books and that they

need to be followed.”
    Felchin receives $95,000 under the the June 8 settlement, while $200,000 will be used to make improvement to common areas, and $1.2 million will go toward improving the units of others with physical disabilities who request access features. Two bedroom units in the condo typically sell for more than $800,000 and some larger units sell for more that $1 million.

SCI SEX SURVEY SEEKS PARTICIPANTS

    The Reeve-Irvine Research Center is conducting a study to determine more details about sexual dysfunction experienced by men and women with spinal cord injuries. Information gained from this study will be used to help scientists and medical doctors develop experiments addressing different sexual issues, with the aim of developing therapeutic treatments for people living with SCI. For more information please go to www.scisexualhealth.com. All information will be kept confidential. If you have any questions, please contact Dr. Kim Anderson at kanderso@uci.edu or call 949/824-0056.

HORNSBY ROCKS FOR THE ADA

    Singer Bruce Hornsby and the musical group Sweet Honey in the Rock joined forces for the June 21 “Disability Rights: Save the ADA” concert at the Music Center at the Strathmore in North Bethesda, Md. The concert benefited ADA Watch and the National Coalition for Disability Rights.
    Also featured were the photographs of Tom Olin, which were narrated by the ADA Watch’s executive director, Jim Ward. Olin’s photographic history spanned from the 1985 smashing of a curb in Los Angeles to create “People’s Curb Ramp Number one.” to ADAPT’s present-day fight for personal assistance services. “So many things stood out as a stellar first for me,” says ADA Watch spokesperson Janine Bertram-Kemp about the concert. “One was Sweet Honey’s oldest singer linking the 1964 Civil Rights Act with the ADA and noting how critical it is to hang on to civil rights at all.” Kemp also appreciated how many concert goers were moved by Olin’s photographs documenting disability rights history. “All of us heard comments like, ‘I never thought of disability like that,’ and so on,” she says.

THE DERBY CITY NSCIA NEWSLETTER

WANTED: DISABLED LATINO WRITERS

    Proyecto Vision, a technical assistance center for Latinos with disabilities, is looking for reporters who have firsthand knowledge of both the disability and Latino communities. Assigned stories will focus on all types of employment issues, organizations that serve Latinos with disabilities, and stories examining the situation of people living in U.S. communities with large concentrations of Latinos.
    To apply, send a resume describing yourself and your skills plus a one-page article you have written about disabled Latinos to Robin Savinar at robin@wid.org or call 510/251-4325. Applications will be accepted through August 31, 2005

From the internet –ed.

DO SOMETHING BRICK AWARDS

    The DO Something BRICK awards program is designed to honor outstanding youth leaders age 18 and under, and ages 19-25. The Brick Award recognizes youth who use their talents to take action that measurably strengthens their local communities in the areas of community building, health, or the environment. Each of the "18 and under" winners is awarded a $5,000 higher education scholarship and a $5,000 community grant (to be directed by the award winner to the not-for-profit organization of his or her choice). Award recipients in the "19-25" category receive a $10,000 community grant. All winners will receive Pro Bono Services and attend the annual BRICK Awards Gala event in New York City, which will recognize and celebrate their accomplishments. For additional information and to obtain an application visit: http://www.dosomething.org/awards/brick/application-2006.php. Deadline is November 1.

FOR SALE !!!!

*2003 Ford F-250 lift-equipped green/gray van; leather seats, TV, DVD player. Playstation hookup, am-fm radio. Rick Miller, 937-2245.

*Shower Chair; 2 yrs old, negotiable; 2 RoHo cushions; low profile; $150 each; Invacare 900 Action Power Chair; 4 yrs. Old; $600. Call 448-5296.

*RoHo High Profile 16x16 cushions; $160; 589-6620.

*Cookbooks for Sale: Recipes compiled by Chapter members; $10:00. Call David @ 589-6620.

*Video tapes for sale. Various topics related to spinal cord injuries. Call David Allgood or Buddy Lawson

***If assistance is needed to pay for any of the above items, contact Kentucky Assistive Technology Loan Corporation at for information on loans at 5% interest to qualified candidates.

THE DERBY CITY NSCIA NEWSLETTER

You are cordially invited to join us!

The Derby City Chapter of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association
consists of people with spinal cord injuries and similar physical conditions, their family members, friends, and
professionals or other interested parties.

We meet:

WHEN- Third Monday of every month from 6:30 to 9:00 PM
WHERE- Frazier Rehab Center , 4th floor Dining Room
220 Abraham Flexner Way

If you wish to be a member, donor, and/or be on the mailing list of the Derby City Chapter of the National Spinal Cord Injury Association please complete and mail the following form to the address below