New forum: Public Policy

[Donna Thomson]

To John and Moderators:
I know that political discussions are not allowed here. But I wonder if it isn't time to encourage a discussion about disability in public policy during election time in the U.S. Certainly with respect to policy here in the UK, I can speak to that and also trends in Canada as well. For example, this year in the UK, the government instituted nationwide individualized funding as an option for those who choose it. Anyone who receives social care or health care in the community can now receive a cheque in the mail and spend it on whatever they need, no questions asked. I have written an article on this legislation for disability mags in Canada.

Surely we should be talking on an international level about different policies that support (or don't support) people with neurological illness and/or disability! We are all grownups and anyone who simply wishes to bash another would of course be shut down. There are a lot of people like me, I believe, who want to engage in an informed and polite discussion about public policy as it effects our constituency.

Donna Thomson

[Flaky]

I will seccond the suggestion since some can learn about problems elsewhear in the world

Sincerly,
Flaky

[Tootsie]

Donna, our entire medical system is such a mess of different policies, restrictions, special and separate groupings that any discussion of just disability programs and funding would simply point out the shortcomings of the entire system.

For example, veterans receive care through the Veterans Administration. Anyone injured on the job receives care through Disability Insurance purchased by their employer and depends on individual state administration. Long term disability is administered by the Social Security Administration. Anyone below a certain income level receives medical through matching grants programs in the state where they live. Those over 65 receive subsidized care through Medi-Care, also administered by the Social Security Administration.

Some employers provide insurance for their employees with choices of Health Maintenence Organizations or other plans. Some plans only cover 80% of charges. I could go on, but you get the picture. It's a mess.

Then too, in the plan you describe, there would be the problem of how to insure that people receiving the money would actually spend it on medical needs rather than alcohol or street drugs. Cheerio.

[Donna Thomson]

Of course systems to serve people with chronic illness and disability are fractured in the US, Canada, UK and elsewhere. But shouldn't we be discussing this somewhere here? Shouldn't we be talking about models of good practice and discussing our personal experience of policy as it is written in law?

There is an election in the US and a federal election as we speak in Canada as well. Party conferences in the UK are underway.

I am asking the question: may we, could we, should we, have a forum for political discussion through the lens of our experience with neurological conditions? One moderator wrote on the CN that the reason we don't have political discussions is that they usually end up in a firestorm (I paraphrase). I am mystified why there isn't more of a call for debate about these issues and furthermore, don't we all here have some serious common concerns with respect to our neurological/chronic health issues? Certainly the newspapers aren't commentating on our behalf!

Donna

[Ruby_NikitaK9]

I'll say its a mess my mom is on medicare she has parkinsons disease quite bad along with dementia and a pressure sore...

Medicare will no longer pay for a home nurse for her and she is hallucinating and sometimes does not even know who people are... when the nurse would come and see her she was an entirely different person plus her pressure sore is one that keeps reaccuring and they can become quite serious and even fatal if not kept in check...

honest my parents worked and paid into social security and so forth now they cannot even get proper care when retired... so mean and unfair!!!!

thanx for listening

Ruby_NikitaK9