[rehab] Medicaid Payments for O&M Services

[Jan Bailey]

There one other thing. If that happened, then rehab agencies might stall 
people by saying see if Medicaid will pay, and that could be a nightmare to 
the consumer.
Jan

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Marks, Jim" <jimmarks at mt.gov>
To: "Rehabilitation Counselor Mailing List" <rehab at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Thursday, January 20, 2011 1:52 PM
Subject: Re: [rehab] Medicaid Payments for O&M Services


> Those who advocate that Medicaid should pay for orientation and mobility 
> instruction and other blindness services carry the burden of proof for 
> their point of view.  In other words, they have to show how involving 
> Medicaid will be a good thing for blind people more than the status quo 
> has to show it isn't.  A good starting place is to answer the question, 
> "Who Benefits from involving Medicaid?"  The answer to who benefits almost 
> always is answered by following the money.  If Medicaid pays for blindness 
> services, then many professionals in and outside the medical world will 
> profit.  The same really can't be said for blind people.  Dr. Bell did a 
> wonderful job describing the negatives in using Medicaid to pay for 
> blindness services.
>
> At the same time, the world is changing, and Medicaid is going to play a 
> larger role in most states as the Affordable Care Act is implemented.  A 
> key feature of the Act is to expand Medicaid coverage.  Personally, I 
> think the broader health insurance coverage is a tremendous thing. 
> However, when it comes to blindness, I'm not convinced that blindness has 
> much to do with the health system.  Treatment of eye diseases is great, 
> but turning the use of a long white cane into a medically prescribed and 
> managed service makes little sense if one believes that blindness isn't 
> that big of a deal.  Anyhow, challenging the separate nature of blindness 
> services is good in that it helps the organized blind hone our point of 
> view.  We definitely have to engage these sorts of questions or else we 
> would be letting others decide for us what's best.  I think Medicaid 
> should not be involved in blindness services for the sake of 
> self-determination and more affordable and higher quality services.
>
>
>
> Jim Marks jimmarks at mt.gov
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: rehab-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:rehab-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf 
> Of gabe vega
> Sent: Wednesday, January 19, 2011 4:20 AM
> To: Rehabilitation Counselor Mailing List
> Subject: Re: [rehab] Medicaid Payments for O&M Services
>
> I am a little confused here. We always talk about spreading education
> and awareness to the public, government and other professions about
> blindness and all it brings, and you are telling me this medicade
> situation is a bad thing?
>
> will it not put more of a spotlight on blindness based on the fact
> that more people will have to deal with and provide for people of who
> are blind?
>
> I am not sure if I subscribe to this blind nitch rehab model anyways,
> how has it advanced this so called 70% emplyment rate for the past 20
>
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