The hidden problem with Mainecare and services for people with disabilities

There’s  been much discussion about MaineCare and how it’s costs are unsustainable.  There is very little discussion about how MaineCare is the primary funding source for services to   people with disabilities.  Since the 1990’s,   the state has  transferred costs for services to people with disabilities from local state to federal Medicaid funding in an effort to have the federal government pay a  for an ever growing state bureaucracy.  I’ve discussed this in past blogs. Please read if you have any interest.

The flaw with the idea of  MaineCare funding all services to people with disabilities is that most people with developmental disabilities aren’t sick or elderly.  And MaineCare, by all definitions, is a medical model, that is rife with restrictions on potential personal growth, independence and productivity.  It was designed to care for the terribly infirmed or people with little or no hope of personal growth.  The majority of people with disabilities don’t fit this restrictive funding model.

So why are we restricting options and services for personal development of disabled citizens with a medical model?  Why have we compromised personal developement options for disabled people?  I think MaineCare created an industry that supports the state bureaucracy and people working “for” disabilities through Medicaid (MaineCare) rather than  developmental service delivery.  As a result,  our citizens with disabilities have a Medicaid ceiling imposed on them.  They are the recipients of very mediocre and very expensive services that emphasize maintenance over personal development.

There has to be flexibility in how Maine funds worthwhile services for its citizens with disabilities.  A medical model doesn’t meet the needs a people who want options for growth in their personal lives.