ACTION ALERT: Elimination of ADHC

PLEASE CALL LEGISLATIVE LEADERS AND URGE THEM TO REJECT THE GOVERNOR’S PROPOSAL TO ELIMINATE THE ADULT DAY HEALTH CARE (ADHC) PROGRAM – Budget Item 4260

The State Legislature is meeting in emergency session over the next 3 weeks to act on a series of mid-year budget cuts recently proposed by the Governor.  Cuts must be enacted by Feb. 22, 2010.  Your help is therefore needed ASAP to save the ADHC program from total elimination!!

The proposed elimination of ADHC would throw approx. 37,000 elderly and disabled Medi-Cal participants and their caregivers into absolute turmoil.  The program serves frail, low-income individuals whose typical age is 80+, providing them with nursing care; occupational, physical, and speech therapies; and dietary assistance.  Eliminating ADHC would irrevocably harm the most vulnerable members of our society - frail seniors and those with Alzheimer’s disease, mental illness and developmental disabilities - and prevent them from accessing the care they need.

Talking Points: 

• 7,600 jobs will be lost as ADHC centers lay off personnel, adding $94 Million to the already deficit-ridden State Unemployment Insurance Fund.  Another 13,892 working middle class Californians will be forced to quit their jobs to take care of their loved one, creating additional loss of income tax revenue to the state.
• Increased costs of at least $221.4 Million to the Medi-Cal State General Fund will occur due to costs shifting to hospitals and nursing facilities as clients are pushed into over-crowded emergency rooms, hospitals and nursing homes.  This is $88.7 Million greater than the Governor’s estimated savings of $134.7 Million.
• Loss of $216 M in federal matching funds.  It is inconceivable to think California would give up federal money that we currently receive at the same time that the Governor is calling on the federal government to give California more money to sustain important state health programs.
• Nursing home facility beds for Medi-Cal are extremely limited and some counties have no bed capacity.  The cost of moving people to far away facilities will be significant and isn’t in the best interests of the individual or his/her family.
• Thirty years of progress in developing home and community-based alternatives would be wiped out if ADHC and other services are eliminated - just as baby boomers are reaching retirement age and community-base care options are needed more than ever in California’s history. 
• Rather than eliminate ADHC, Legislators should approve legislation to amend eligibility criteria in order to conform with federal laws and clarify the definition of medical necessity. Cost savings can be achieved by targeting services to those most in need while still maintaining the viability of the ADHC program model.

In summary, the Governor’s proposal to eliminate ADHC does not make fiscal sense and is a cruel, harsh and ineffective way to balance the budget.

Legislative Offices to call and/or e-mail