ADAPT storms Boehner district office; demands new strategy for Medicaid spending

From ADAPT:

TROY, Ohio -- 20 members of ADAPT, the national disability rights direct action organization, are at the Troy district office of U.S. Representative John Boehner, demanding that Boehner set a date to meet with them on federal Medicaid spending strategy.

Boehner and the Republican party want to make drastic cuts to Medicaid spending; ADAPTers say that money can be better saved by ensuring that a greater proportion of Medicaid spending be invested in home- and community-based supports.

“People with disabilities and seniors want to be able to live in our own homes, not nursing facilities and institutions,” said Ohio ADAPT Organizer Darrell Price. “As a person with a disability, I know that these supports mean the difference between being part of my community and being totally isolated.”

Price believes that as a key Republican leader in the current federal budget talks, Boehner’s leadership could make the difference for the 49 million poor children, seniors, people with disabilities and pregnant women who rely on Medicaid.

On Sunday, the ADAPT members visited Boehner’s church in an effort to talk with parishioners about the Medicaid crisis and Boehner’s role. The parish priest refused to dialogue with the group and instead called the police to have them removed from the church premises.

“Republicans talk all the time about fiscal conservatism. The strategy of investing in home- and community-based supports is a proven cost saving measure,” said Chicago ADAPT Organizer Rahnee Patrick. “We don’t see this being available equally in every state, so we are asking that John Boehner make this part of his federal budget strategy. Not having these supports is what forces us into costly nursing facilities and institutions.”

The Troy district office is located at 12 S. Plum #2 in Troy, Ohio.

For more information about ADAPT, please visit http://www.adapt.org/. ADAPT is also on Twitter at http://twitter.com/nationaladapt.