They're here from all over the country -- Texas, Montana, New York, Pennsylvania -- to protest what they see as President Obama not sufficiently supporting the Community Choice Act, a bill that would amend the Social Security Act to provide those with disabilities and older Americans the ability to use federal funding for community-based attendant services instead of just for nursing homes.
ADAPT wants the Community Choice Act to be included as part of the overall health care reform package. White House health care czar Nancy-Ann DeParle told some members of ADAPT this morning that President Obama as a candidate supported CCA, but not as a part of the overall health reform effort. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, and Rep. Danny Davis, D-Illinois, introduced the bill last month.
An Action Alert outlines the need to tell your representatives and the President that the Community Choice Act must be part of healthcare reform.
This morning, ADAPT met with Nancy-Ann DeParle, the Obama administration's healthcare czar (Counselor to the President and Director of the White House Office of Health Reform). Despite featuring the Community Choice Act (CCA) prominently in the presidential campaign, President Obama's administration, including Ms. DeParle, has again demonstrated that they are unwilling to take leadership and capitalize on the promise of healthcare reform to pass CCA. ADAPT has been part of prior meetings with the Obama administration which also failed to yield any commitment to call for CCA to be part of healthcare reform.
In response to the Obama administration's refusal to demonstrate leadership, ADAPT activists have chained and handcuffed themselves to the Whitehouse fence. They are refusing to leave until President Obama fulfils his campaign commitment to support passage of the CCA. ADAPT is demanding that President Obama create the change that Americans with Disabilities need: the Community Choice Act!
It's important that our leaders in Washington DC hear from you! Send a letter to the Whitehouse, your Senators and Representative in Congress right now.
Visit the link to add your voice in support of the CCA as a piece of vital legislation that is needed. You can read more about the CCA by clicking here.
Related:
91 Protestors Arrested - AP
USA Today article on arrests, see also Five from Congress, 94 others arrested in protests today (covering the CCA protest and Darfur protest)
FoxNews coverage, Houston Chronicle
Coverage on The Oval along with a photo of protesters in wheelchairs lined up.
You Tube coverage of the protest
UPDATE over at Media dis&dat:
UPDATE: Harkin communications director Kate Cyrul emails us to say: "Discussions about what will and will not be in the health reform package are currently underway, and no final decisions have been made. Senator Harkin has made clear that any health care reform package is incomplete if it does not address the right of individuals with disabilities to choose to live in the community and receive supportive care, services they are currently entitled to only in an institutional setting. Senator Obama was a cosponsor of the Community Choice Act in the 110th Congress, and made support for the legislation a key part of his disabilities platform during the campaign."
6 comments:
The Columbus Dispatch had an article this weekend about the power of the nursing home lobby in this state. Ohio's one of the worst.
Too bad the churches don't pay attention to this. Their attention is everywhere but.
Thanks for this. I'm very concerned about this issue and have linked to you from my blog at http://genuinegopmom.blogspot.com/2009/04/disabled-protestors-arrested-in-front.html
If you have updates you can email a note to me at wmiar@yahoo.com and I will share with my readers.
This issue is near and dear to my heart. This is a matter of basic compassion and recognition of human dignity. As a disabled person and someone who knows a bit about nursing homes, I understand the issue, however I am not familiar with the details on the legislation. I live in Kentucky which has the worst bed shortage in the nation and I know of at least one instance several years ago where a nursing home tried to esablish itself as a "Do Not Resuscitate" facility. The shortage of beds coupled with the mandated DNR order spells disaster. But that is just one of many examples of why people should be supported in assisted-living rather than nursing homes. Many blessings to you.
Julana-
The USCCB (US Conference of Catholic Bishops) issued a letter in 2007 in support of the CCA. I do, however, agree that this act should be fully supported by faith communities in a more public way.
Lisa-
Blessings to you as well and thanks for your comment. More details on the legislation can be found at this link:
http://www.adapt.org/casa/summary.htm
as you say- "This is a matter of basic compassion and recognition of human dignity"
Thank you! I posted the link as an update and asked my readers to visit your blog for updates on developments in this situation.
ADAPT are awesome. We already have legislation along the lines of this, and it has changed people's lives. American disabled people need the same opportunities to live in the community.
Do you know why the arrests were made? I had understood that Obama had re-legalized protesting outside the White House...
I read in an article that the first day they didn't have a permit, but I'm not sure.
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