CHOICE

Indiana Home Care Task Force
One North Capitol Avenue, Suite 1025
Indianapolis, IN 46204

For Immediate Release: January 26, 2009

Contact: John Cardwell, (317) 441-3812

CITIZENS CALL ON GOVERNOR AND THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY TO PROTECT AND GROW HOME CARE SERVICES FOR SENIOR CITIZENS AND PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

(State House, Indianapolis, IN) Today, leaders of organizations representing seniors, persons with disabilities, family caregivers and other citizens called on Governor Daniels and the Indiana General Assembly to step forward to protect the CHOICE home care program. CHOICE, which stands for the Community and Home Options to Institutional Care for the Elderly and Disabled, has been serving people in Indiana who need home health care and related services in their communities since 1988.

John Cardwell, chairperson of the Indiana Home Care Task Force, which hosted the State House press conference, stated: "In 1987, the Indiana General Assembly passed the CHOICE home care law with only one dissenting vote before it was signed by Governor Bob Orr. Since that time the program has continued to serve tens of thousands of Hoosiers and their families with quality low cost care. Today, we are asking Governor Daniels and the Indiana General Assembly to work together to fully fund CHOICE, to halt a secret directive by the Division of Aging to keep people from enrolling in the program, and to stop other attempts by the state to suppress the utilization of CHOICE services. Such acts will not protect taxpayers. They will only drive up the cost of Medicaid in the state budget as more people are forced to use nursing home care. That is why we are here today. We are asking Governor Daniels and the General Assembly to join us in stopping these unwarranted actions against the CHOICE program, and to support positive solutions to the long term care needs of our fellow Hoosiers."

Elmer Blankenship, President of the Indiana Alliance for Retired Americans, stated: "The CHOICE home care program has been supported by the Alliance for Retired Americans since its beginning because it does some remarkable things. CHOICE provides high quality home care services. CHOICE funds home care services at a lower average cost than other publicly funded long term care programs. CHOICE keeps people out of nursing homes. So we must ask the Governor and the General Assembly to take some simple but important steps to protect Hoosiers with disabilities. Fully fund CHOICE and don't block access to the program. Work with us to implement positive solutions we can all be proud of. Those solutions include fully implementing SEA 493 and the Lessons from Home recommendations that have been crafted by home care consumers. And, for Pete's sake, talk to us before making shoot-from-the-hip decisions that can harm people. We all want the same thing: the best long term care possible for all Hoosiers. So let's work together to do that."

June Lyle, State Director of AARP, stated: "AARP Indiana has always supported the CHOICE program. For us it is a win-win-win program for everyone. Our members are well served by CHOICE as consumers and as taxpayers. Nationally, AARP strongly endorses the growth of home and community based services (HCBS). Our studies of all fifty states confirm that these services play a vital role in containing Medicaid costs and improving the quality of life for everyone. There is no secret that Hoosiers need more and improved long-term care options. Governor Daniels and the General Assembly have long recognized that. For that reason AARP believes all things positive are possible. We believe CHOICE can and will be fully funded as part of a long-term care program that smartly uses Medicaid and CHOICE dollars. We believe the wisdom of maintaining client access to all long-term care options will be quickly recognized. We believe the time exists between now and April 29th to find the best long term care solutions for the state of Indiana and its citizens."

Ann Latscha, Senior Policy Representative for the Service Employees International Union, stated: "SEIU has been honored to work with consumers, home care workers, legislators and the state to find solutions to the home care needs of the citizens of Indiana. Our members work each day with home care consumers throughout Indiana to help them get the best care possible. Sometimes that is very hard. Too many Hoosiers have too few hours of publicly funded home care services. That places a great strain on family caregivers and on home care workers, who are under constant pressure to do much in too little time. Unfortunately, when a senior citizen or a person with a disability fails to get the hours of care they need that person's health, independence, and life can be placed in jeopardy. So we are here today to plead to our elected officials: fund CHOICE and don't block access to its services."

Jim Wallihan, President of United Senior Action of Indiana, made the closing statement. "Throughout history, politicians and religious leaders have often noted that we will be judged in the future by what we do for the least among us. We are at one of those moments of judgment. For a generation the CHOICE program has served the citizens of Indiana very well. Lives have been saved and improved, families have been kept whole, and taxpayers have saved lots of money in avoided nursing home costs all because of the CHOICE program. CHOICE proves we can do things right in Indiana. So let's don't throw it away. United Senior Action emphatically endorses the call by the Indiana Home Care Task Force to say YES to full funding for the CHOICE program, and NO to the Division of Aging's secret directive to block access to the program. CHOICE is a great program that is needed more than ever during this time of economic crisis. To Governor Daniels, the General Assembly, and everyone who hears our words today, please heed this message: let's use CHOICE to show that we can do what is best and humane during a time of crisis in our state."