Congress Mulls Rights for Disabled
The Associated Press
By DARLENE SUPERVILLE
WASHINGTON (AP) - Eight years after passage of a landmark disabilities =
law,
Congress has opened a new debate about further expanding the rights of
disabled people.
Advocates for the disabled are pressing for a bill that would give them
more control over their care. It would allow a larger portion of the =
Medicaid
funds that now pay for care in institutions to be used for community- or
home-based care, if that's where the individual wants to live.
The debate opened Thursday with support from two House members who =
rarely
agree on anything: Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga., and Minority Leader =
Richard
Gephardt, D-Mo. Gingrich told the House Commerce health and environment
subcommittee that government shouldn't force people with disabilities =
into
institutions and nursing homes for care that can be delivered more =
effectively and cheaply in a home or community living arrangement.
``Everyone deserves the opportunity to lead a full and independent =
life,''
Gingrich said, adding that ``people with disabilities are no =
exception.''
His remarks drew applause from the audience of advocates, many of whom =
sat
in motorized wheelchairs and took notes or were accompanied by =
seeing-eye
dogs. Others wore purple buttons that said ``There is no place like =
home''
or red T-shirts printed with ``Mi Casa,'' the bill's acronym, which also
means ``My Home'' in Spanish.
Gingrich introduced the bill last June, with Gephardt as a co-sponsor.=20
The 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act banned discrimination against
people with disabilities.
Gephardt said too much of the Medicaid funds spent on the disabled goes =
to
institutions. With the right services, he said, many people with
disabilities can live productive lives on their own. ``Further, they =
have a
right to do so,'' he said. ``People with disabilities have that right as
much as others that don't have disabilities.'' But some are already
questioning the potential price tag.
Margaret Hamburg, an assistant secretary at the Department of Health and
Human Services, said the Clinton administration embraces the goals but =
has
concerns about the cost and whether the bill is the best way to achieve
those goals. The Congressional Budget Office says the bill could cost =
between $10 billion and $20 billion a year, depending on how many people
=
use the benefit and other factors.
Rep. Ted Strickland, D-Ohio, told advocates that it's easy to get =
support for
bills, but harder to get lawmakers to vote to spend the money. ``Talk is
=
cheap
in Washington,'' he said.=20
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