Who is more disabled? The successful banker who happens to be quadriplegic, and gets up each weekday (with the help of assistants) and goes to work, contributing to the community and pulling down over $100,000 a year? Or the dude who still lives in his mom’s basement, who can do chin-ups, run and jump, but … Continue reading “Disability A “Social Construct?” Not If You Lack Supports”
Because Medicaid makes getting on home care waivers ridiculously complex and difficult, whereas institutionalization is easily funded, I ended up here, at a city rehab hospital while I wait for home care to be set up for me in Manhattan. This is my waiting period. Institutionalization, the most costly, elaborate and inconvenient option, is the … Continue reading “Lucky Unit 13 (Long Essay on Institutional Living)”
Good news…I managed to get my “Medicaid: Why It’s Broken and How To Fix It” post in the hands of Obama’s disability vote director. He sent me an email saying “Got it. Thanks.” I’m really glad my message got through to the Obama camp (I wish I could get an email to the McCain people … Continue reading “Will Obama Listen to the Disability Community?”
In my last post, I mentioned various politicians who are co-sponsoring and supporting the Community Choice Act: New England has already caught on–MA and NY passed similar legislation years ago. Congressmen from both parties have signed on to the bill, which was formerly named MiCASSA; how can you argue citizens shouldn’t be able to choose … Continue reading “McCain Not Supporting The Community Choice Act”
The point of this post is to explain what the Medicaid system is to the uninitiated, and describe the vast inequalities between states, and the gangrenous corruption that undergirds the system. First off, before I begin, Medicaid is NOT the same as Medicare. And if you talk like you don’t know the difference (o hai … Continue reading “Medicaid: Why It’s Broken and How To Fix It”
My latest accomplishment is that this article of mine was published by the Greenhaven Press imprint of Gale Publishing in their Opposing Viewpoints Series, which is heavily used both in libraries and high school and college courses, to introduce differing views of the issues. I’m in the 2008 edition of Opposing Viewpoints: Health Care, if … Continue reading “Nick Dupree Published In National Textbook”
I got back http://nickscrusade.org/ and it is focused on relocating me. Mom’s health has declined, Alabama will not pony up for additional supports (other than a nursing home) and I really need to get to a better state or I’m gonna be screwed. I’m looking hard at NYC, Minneapolis, Portland, and other areas for the … Continue reading “Nick’s Crusade Part II”
Last Saturday I gave my advocacy seminar I’ve given all over the country, in Second Life (SL). You can view the PowerPoint and read the full transcript of the event here:Grassroots Advocacy in Second Life: Namav Abramovic (Nick Dupree) Also check out Aldon’s blog, where he juxtaposes my speech with a recent Obama speech. It … Continue reading “My Virtual Seminar”
“People have access to health care in America. After all, just go to an emergency room.” — President Bush That’s what Bush said (as an aside) at a recent event where he discussed why he is going to veto a funding boost for the State Children’s Health Insurance Plan (SCHIP). Basically he said the “federalization … Continue reading “George W. Bush’s Health Care Plan”
Wednesday, presidential candidate Mitt Romney was campaigning in a New Hampshire diner. The waitress there has three sick children, and like most regular people, is struggling terribly to get the health care her family needs and is often not able to keep her head above the rising tide of costs. Governor Romney was there telling … Continue reading “Mitt Romney Confronted by Reality on U.S. Health Care”
This is an update to the Medicaid Trying To Cut Us Off post. Last Friday our case worker for the Medicaid waiver, who works for Alabama Medicaid, called up to relay the message that the administrators are crunching the numbers on the program and it is too expensive. In order to continue the program, they … Continue reading “Horde of Medicaid Zombies Banging On Your Door”
Public Citizen ranks state Medicaid programs Get the full run-down hereUnsettling Scores: A Ranking of State Medicaid Programs (2007) Lots of excellent info here. ALL states in the U.S. have serious problems in their health care systems; the “best 10” would be more-aptly labeled “the least terrible 10.” We cannot let the status quo continue … Continue reading “How bad is your state’s Medicaid program?”
To the guys who want to slash Medicaid funding even more, take this story and eat it. Alabama Medicaid called Friday, they want to terminate our waiver…. Basically, we’re too expensive to keep alive. They will discuss this more in May. They say the program is just too expensive. Scary. But then again they claimed … Continue reading “Update: Medicaid Trying To Cut Us Off…Again”
Beware the Ides of March We recently passed the third anniversary of the death of my friend Chris. It’s so awful, I don’t write or speak about this much (too painful) but I thought you should all know about it. My family had known Chris since we moved to Mobile, Alabama in 1983, I was … Continue reading “I Feel Messed Up”
Should the state be allowed to pull the plug on your family without your consent? This is a scary question that’s getting more and more attention lately, as states and hospital corporations are increasingly looking to cut costs and unplug people they deem “futile.” It’s downright Nazi-istic, and we are called to fight this every … Continue reading “Saving Emilio”
Is the war on terra the only issue that matters in politics now? That’s the argument Ron Silver famously made at the ’04 Republican National Convention (old video). It’s the argument I hear over and over from Bush apologists. Prediction: it’s the argument that rightist politicians will be pitching throughout the ’08 election cycle, which … Continue reading “Is the "war on terra" the only issue that matters?”
A few weeks back I produced an episode of the Best of the Left podcast tackling (well, shredding) Bush’s health care plan. The Best of the Left podcast is a podcast I found on iTunes, produced by a user named Jay. It’s a (usually weekly) compilation of left-wing radio. Like a highlight reel. Sometimes another … Continue reading “Nick Produces Podcast Tackling Bush’s Health Care Plan”
Two weeks ago I detailed the government’s offensive, destructive policy of slashing Medicaid in my post, Vigorously Insisting On A More Perfect Union: Fighting Cuts, Demanding Universal Health Care. But last year and the year before that, I was blogging in posts like this, about the cuts to Tennessee Medicaid, the largest cuts in … Continue reading “More About Culling of the Sick in TN. Also, Bush Weighs In”
Any Valid Social Contract Requires Universal Health Care That’s Not Socialism, It’s Judaism My last blog post, Vigorously Insisting On A More Perfect Union: Fighting Cuts, Demanding Universal Health Care garnered a good response over at MySpace and here at blogspot where I always simulcast the blog. The first response I got was this: Universal … Continue reading “Any Valid Social Contract Requires Universal Health Care”
Vigorously Insisting On A More Perfect Union: Fighting Cuts, Demanding Universal Health Care I Take On Health Care Policy Once Again It has almost become a spring ritual for me. President Bush submits a new budget to Congress, unabashedly filled with loathsome cuts to the lifeline of the poor and disabled (Medicaid) to finance more … Continue reading “Vigorously Insisting On A More Perfect Union: Fighting Cuts, Demanding Universal Health Care”
I Was On TV Tonight! YAY! Check it out! Special Report: “Nick’s Crusade” – Nick wins major award Go direct to watching the video here. I just got word Headline News is running this as well! Nick
How To Win An Advocacy Campaign A Rant About Media Strategy For years I traveled, giving speeches at disability conferences about how I defeated Alabama Medicaid and how you can too, in Chicago, Minneapolis, DC, and even in Dr. Martin Luther King’s church in Montgomery. It was a great opportunity. I tried my best to … Continue reading “How To Win An Advocacy Campaign”
Ricky A. Wyatt Lifetime Advocacy Award ADAP Award As I described earlier, I recently won the Ricky A. Wyatt Lifetime Advocacy Award. Here’s the closeup Mom just took:
Nick Gets Lifetime Advocacy Award I Received Lifetime Advocacy Award At ADAP’s 30th Anniversary Event Friday, we made the 175-mile journey to Montgomery to attend the 30th anniversary of ADAP (Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program), the state P&A (protection and advocacy) agency (every state has one), and receive their first-ever “Lifetime Advocacy Award” at the Alabama … Continue reading “Nick Gets Lifetime Advocacy Award”
What Is Medicaid? What Are Waivers? A Medicaid Policy Wonk Explains Medicaid stuff is my specialty. While I’m a political junkie who tries to glean deep knowledge of American political ideas on all sides on nearly every issue and the philosophies that underpin them, and, while in a year of intense study, I’ve gained a great … Continue reading “What Is Medicaid? What Are Waivers?”
Money Following The Person Out Of Institutions “Not Feasible,” Says Alabama Medicaid They Still Won’t Give An Inch To Free Citizens From Nursing Homes I just watched the Alabama Medicaid commissioner Carol Herrmann spinning and tap-dancing around the Money Follows the Person grant issue on the For The Record show. Alabama Medicaid continues to stick … Continue reading “Money Following The Person Out Of Institutions "Not Feasible," Says Alabama Medicaid”
Amid Protests, Alabama Medicaid Still Refuses Federal Grant Officials Won’t Budge On Anything Affecting Nursing Home Industry As I reported in my recent editorial on the subject, our government is circling the wagons to protect their nursing home boondoggle while those who want to receive care at home are left out in the cold. This … Continue reading “Amid Protests, Alabama Medicaid Still Refuses Federal Grant”
Background On Money Follows The Person Rebalancing Project Today, I spoke at Independent Living Center of Mobile about my new editorial on the federal Medicaid rebalancing grant and how our Governor is opposing it. But how did advocates get the feds to finally launch such a project to begin with? A new NPR report by … Continue reading “How Disability Activists Won New Federal Medicaid Grant”
A Mobile Register Letter to the Editor I’m Nick Dupree. Some of you may remember me from my public battle to stop Alabama Medicaid from ending nursing care for people on life support when they turned 21, a battle I won and received a flurry of media attention for three years ago, in the Register … Continue reading “Governor Riley Refuses New Fed. Funding For Disabled, Advocates To Rally”
Historic First Human Rights Treatry of New Millenium The UN Disability Rights Treaty has been approved! It is the first human rights treaty of the new millenium, and is aimed at protecting the planet’s estimated 650 million disabled people. It bans discriminatory laws and practices, and it is supposed to spur a revolutionary change in … Continue reading “Disability Rights Treaty”