Schumer, right, with client and Center President Patrick Dollard
HURLEYVILLE – U.S. Senator Charles Schumer (D, NY) visited the Center for Discovery’s new Maker’s Lab in Sullivan County Thursday afternoon to announce his new bill that will provide more options for disabled citizens who need live-in care.
His Disability Integration Act of 2015 will provide patients, who qualify
for long-term services and support, better options through their insurance
for their care, enabling them to live more fulfilled and independent lives
than they could before. It would apply to those who qualify for institutionalized
care.
“What the bill does is it says, ‘Right now, if someone who is disabled is put in a large institution, their insurance pays for it’; but, there are lots of settings that are a lot better; staying at home and having your family care for you, some kinds of settings that are not large institutions and insurance doesn’t pay for those,” said Schumer. “So, the choice is an institution, or nothing and this would allow much more freedom and much more flexibility.”
The new bill would also prohibit the providers of such services from screening people out, capping services, under-paying workers or, anything that would restrict qualified individuals from having the option of in-home care.
Schumer said that the bill would not only allow for patients who need such services to live the dignified, comfortable lives they are entitled to, but make an at-home, or small community-based care, option available that those who require the services usually prefer.
“Often times, disabled people want to stay with their families at home. There’s some cost to it obviously, making the home accessible and all these other things, but it ends up being much better for them and much better for everybody.”
Schumer said funding for those efforts will be sought through, “closing corporate loop-holes.”
