Many of you know that Medicaid home health therapy rates are in danger of being drastically reduced. Most of us therapy providers and therapists (or in my case, both)are wondering how in the world we would survive this. Many of us won’t. What will happen is that businesses will close and the majority of the children will go untreated. They will experience an obstacle to access of care. This is against Texas law.
I can state my case as to why the rates should stay unaltered. I have a list of facts, statistics, ways this is in violation of Texas law, case studies, speeches, solutions. I could talk about political cronyism, misleading HHSC reports, the self-interest of politicians. I could write a book. I could write 3 books.
But I am arguing with a government that has placed as the head of education- a woman whose children have been home schooled.
So if I say to her, “what if this was your child in school” well. HER child is not in public education. So, ummmmm. Wow.
So, Mr and Ms Politician, what if this was YOUR child you were trying to balance a budget on the back of? Look them in the eye. See them.
YOUR children. Well, I get it. None of YOUR children are on Medicaid. You actually have no idea what I’m talking about. Even if you have a child with special needs, you have no idea. You may have spent thousands of hours and dollars trying to help your child. I know it was stressful. But you had a car to drive in, money or insurance to pay specialists and probably a job that you had to take some time off of. Yes, you’ve had it hard. Yes, it’s been painful. But you have no idea. I actually have no idea. But I am a witness. I see things.
I witness a parent who has one special needs child in the hospital and another younger child with special needs and no resources for child care. The hospital is telling her that the younger child can’t stay there with she and her sick child. Both children need care. Both children need therapy services. They will still need them when the older child is out of the hospital. Did I mention that this mom’s car needs 500.00 in repairs? “Get a job!” you say. She would LOVE a job. Do you have one for her? Her older child has leukemia and compromised immune system. Got any ideas on how to work that out? Two children, daycare, job that pays enough to pay for daycare, suppressed immune system. Hmmmm. Easier to just look the other way and slash, isn’t it? By the way, both children have treatable conditions that would be helped by the therapy. The therapy they still need.
This story is not a rare anecdote. It’s just an example of thousands and thousands of children. This is most of our home health therapy population. And almost every single one will improve with therapy. Most of them will actually get discharged because they will meet their goals. IF they get therapy. If not, a few will catch up and most will not. The system is so stacked against them. Are you really going to kick out one of the remaining supports out from under them?
Because, guess what? These ARE your children. They are MY children. They are all of our children and they deserve the same care and attention that the children that live with us have. You are an elected or appointed official who is supposed to protect and serve OUR children. Just like you want YOUR children, the ones in your house, to be protected and served.
It takes a village. It takes courage. It takes caring about the future of our children. All of our children.