Archbishop's web site Denver Catholic Register Parishes Catholic Pastoral Center
July 17, 2002
Budget cuts threaten home health care
Home-based care makes good financial sense, say activists
By Peter Droege
Cuts in the state budget are threatening the freedom and independence Gil Casarez fought for as a U.S. Marine in Vietnam.
Casarez is proud of his service to his nation, even though it left him confined to a wheelchair. Last week, he joined a group of disabled activists in front of the Colorado Department of Heath Care Policy and Financing to protest the impact of budget cuts on home health services.
"Without the assistance I receive from a home health worker, I could not get up and get to work everyday," says Casarez, who is a community organizer for Atlantis/ADAPT, a disabled-rights group. "The budget cuts will have a great impact, since many home health workers are barely making enough to survive as it is."
In May, the Colorado State Legislature approved a budget that was based on the assumption that there would be $250 million more in state revenue than there actually is. Gov. Bill Owens responded by cutting $46 million from the approved budget, and directed state agencies to cut 4 percent, or about $140 million from their budgets.
Gary Snider, director of the long-term benefits division of the department of Health Care Policy and Financing, said his department is working to mitigate hardships resulting from the budget cuts.
"We recognize the need to cut the budget, but are scrambling to provide health care to the homebound," said Snider. "We are doing our best in a very difficult situation."
According to Snider, funding for acute services — short-term care for those leaving hospitals —will be cut by 30 percent; funding for long-term services — those requiring ongoing care in the home — will be cut by 5 percent.
"We have to look at the long-term care funding on a case-by-case basis, since we cannot allow for a lapse in service where critical life care is involved," explained Snider. "As a society, we need to recognize that the current crisis is only the tip of the iceberg and the challenges of providing long-term care for a growing population of aging people are only going to increase."
With a vibrant personality and a sparkling smile, Anita Cameron is an outspoken advocate for home-based care for disabled people.
"I have my own business and, believe me, I pay plenty in taxes," says Cameron, a young African American woman with multiple sclerosis. "I could not do that if I was living in a nursing home, and I could not live independently without my home health assistant."
Cameron says home health care typically costs half as much as care in a nursing home.
"People are more comfortable in their own homes, where it costs less to care for them," she continued. "We have to promote policies that recognize the growing need for these services and encourage families to take responsibility for their fair share of the time and effort required by care-giving."
Donna Heath, executive director of the Dominican Sisters Home Heath Agency, said she has seen a huge increase in referrals for home health care in recent months.
"Home heath care makes a lot of sense, but it is not easy," she explained. "Many people are in need of durable items like hospital beds and walkers, but insurance does not cover these items."
Thanks to generous benefactors and ongoing fundraising, the Dominican Home Health Agency provides home-based care free of charge and does not take money from the government.
"We have found that it cost us more money to meet the requirements and fill out the forms than we were receiving through Medicaid, so we were not affected by the budget cuts," explained Heath. "But the demand for our services continues to grow and we need to recognize that we will soon be facing a crisis if something is not done to meet the growing demand for home-based health care," she added.
Peter Droege is the executive director of the Solidarity Institute at www.solidarityinstitute.org.
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