The ADAPT Ice Bucket Challenge: An #IceBucketChallenge for Community Inclusion! /memeHijack

My Mom Taught Me – Subvert The Dominant Paradigm remember to turn the subtitles on. [my shirt says: FREE OUR PEOPLE  BIG APPLE ADAPT] When Alejandra mentioned to me that even Raul, like me one of two brothers with an uber rare muscle mitochondrial thing, on a ventilator full time and an awesome advocate too, went ahead … Continue reading “The ADAPT Ice Bucket Challenge: An #IceBucketChallenge for Community Inclusion! /memeHijack”

Video: “Aging Out” of the health care needed to survive at 21 threatens future of two Florida college students

The 21 cut-off, the policy that I fought hard to change in Alabama with a full campaign that I began two years before the cut-off would hit on my 21st birthday, and now I fight on this blog, is still a threat to many around the country. As people with severe disabilities are saved by … Continue reading “Video: “Aging Out” of the health care needed to survive at 21 threatens future of two Florida college students”

Public Policy and Activism: The Harm of Denial

The bulk of this post was taken from a piece of my upcoming memoir I’ve left on the cutting room floor. It’s like 12-step programs say, “the first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem.” So just getting people to understand that people with disabilities exist and admit that there are multiple, severe … Continue reading “Public Policy and Activism: The Harm of Denial”

What Is ObamaCare? 2013-2014: Overview Part 2—Medicaid expansion

An ObamaCare Overview 2013-2014 Part 2: Medicaid Expansion This is the second part of a two-part blog post: click here for Part 1 In the 2013-2014 period, states must decide whether to opt-in or opt-out of the “Medicaid expansion.” Though it pains me deeply that the Affordable Care Act doesn’t fix any of the problems … Continue reading “What Is ObamaCare? 2013-2014: Overview Part 2—Medicaid expansion”

What Is ObamaCare? 2013-2014: Overview Part 1 (Insurance Subsidies)

An ObamaCare Overview 2013-2014: Part 1 Oh man, I am so frustrated that people misunderstand ObamaCare—the Affordable Care Act (ACA)—and continually frame it as something it’s not. They frame it as some sort of universal health care coverage, or as some vague new program that replaces Medicare and Medicaid, or at least fixes their most … Continue reading “What Is ObamaCare? 2013-2014: Overview Part 1 (Insurance Subsidies)”

Chris Week: Ninth Anniversary—RIP Chris

I’ve been thinking about my friend Chris a lot this week, especially in the days preceding and following March 4th, when the tragedy that took him happened. When I was little, Chris was the bigger kid, both in age (four years older) and heft (kids with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy—DMD, which I don’t have—tend to be … Continue reading “Chris Week: Ninth Anniversary—RIP Chris”

Mitt Romney: Can You Help Us, Mr. Fix It? (Part 2)

Continuing my comments on Mitt Romney’s “very ample safety net” statement on CNN; see the first half of my post: Mitt Romney: Can You Help Us, Mr. Fix It? (Part 1)… So, as I said in Part 1, it’s very important to assess presidential candidates in a just and fair manner, and too often the … Continue reading “Mitt Romney: Can You Help Us, Mr. Fix It? (Part 2)”

Mitt Romney: Can You Help Us, Mr. Fix It? (Part 1)

  So, there’s been a dust up over Mitt Romney’s “I’m not concerned about the very poor” comments on CNN.  A lot of the blogosphere is mindlessly blasting this quote sans context, and the TV news even worse, so Team Romney isn’t wrong to protest how this has been “taken out of context.”  Cable news … Continue reading “Mitt Romney: Can You Help Us, Mr. Fix It? (Part 1)”

Best Of Nick’s Crusade Blog, So Far

I’m happy that some of my blog posts have become particularly well-trafficked resources on the interweb. I’ve often written about historical topics that interest me, and, oddly enough, those posts get more hits than posts about disability, politics and injustice, the main subjects of my Nick’s Crusade Blog. This is a survey of the most … Continue reading “Best Of Nick’s Crusade Blog, So Far”

The Social vs. Medical Model of Disability, Communities Will Be Forced To Choose

You may or may not know about the medical model and the social model of disability. I wanted to talk about the social model of services and supports for people with disabilities, and barriers to implementing it. When you think about disability internationally, most disabled people in countries around the world are taken care of … Continue reading “The Social vs. Medical Model of Disability, Communities Will Be Forced To Choose”

The Cost of Denial For People with Disabilities

To respond to the comments made during WBAI radio’s roundtable discussion about my latest blog essay “Why It’s Time For Survival Politics For People with Disabilities…” The last statement in the radio segment about my blog was Josie Byzek saying that (my paraphrasing) the Tea Party may win big in the midterm elections, but then … Continue reading “The Cost of Denial For People with Disabilities”

Nick’s Crusade Blog Featured On Local Radio WBAI!

My blog posts are making waves! My new blog essay about the affect of the Tea Party and the related drastic benefit changes on people with disabilities was the subject of a roundtable discussion this morning on local WBAI radio’s disability chat show “The Largest Minority.” You can listen to the radio discussion here. Sept. … Continue reading “Nick’s Crusade Blog Featured On Local Radio WBAI!”

Why It’s Time For Survival Politics For People with Disabilities

To listen to WBAI radio’s roundtable discussion about the below essay, go here. This isn’t “The Great Recession,” it’s “The Great Change.” The recession–that is just a symptom of these enormous tectonic shifts going on (societally, technologically, economically, politically) and our inability to keep up has caused disruptions and economic downturn. That economic downturn is … Continue reading “Why It’s Time For Survival Politics For People with Disabilities”

Republican Revolution II: Electric Bugaloo

Terrifyingly far-right candidate Carl Paladino crushed state GOP-endorsed Rick Lazio Tuesday night and won the Republican nomination for Governor, meaning he will go head-to-head against Democratic nominee Andrew Cuomo for Governor of New York in the November 2nd election. Paladino is known for his “controversial” bigoted comments and extremist stances on the issues. Here’s a snippet of … Continue reading “Republican Revolution II: Electric Bugaloo”

Feds Fiddling While State Medicaid Programs BURN

Question: In light of Obama’s plan to expand Medicaid eligibility, is anyone in Congress noticing the MASSIVE state budget cuts to Medicaid across the country and ruminating about how that jives with this impending expansion? I fear that if states have to raise income eligibility and bring millions of uninsured onto the Medicaid rolls, that … Continue reading “Feds Fiddling While State Medicaid Programs BURN”

Fix The Broken Foundation Before Building A Skyscraper On Top Of It

My biggest beef with Health Care Reform right now is that we’re building a new tower on top of a broken foundation. Medicare and Medicaid are badly broken, and we’re building more programs on top of that. Bad idea. Insurance company bureaucracy is even worse, but federal programs have to be significantly better in the … Continue reading “Fix The Broken Foundation Before Building A Skyscraper On Top Of It”

Disabled Still Forced Into Institutions Just For Turning 21: Open Letter To The Disability Community, August 2009

Obama Administration Signs the CRPD Treaty, But Is In Flagrant Violation Of It, The ADA, Olmstead, and Its Own “Year of Community Living” PR Campaign, As Arbitrary Termination of Medicaid Home Care Services at Age 21 Continues Unabated The recent addition of the U.S. as a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of … Continue reading “Disabled Still Forced Into Institutions Just For Turning 21: Open Letter To The Disability Community, August 2009”

Democrats Ignoring Long-Term Care, Activists Respond. LET MY PEOPLE GO!

44 years ago, Congress passed several historic amendments to the Social Security Act, the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Back then, there were no home ventilators, there were few medications for managing disease, there were no home Hoyer lifts, and Congress couldn’t imagine the elderly and disabled living at home successfully and independently. The technology and … Continue reading “Democrats Ignoring Long-Term Care, Activists Respond. LET MY PEOPLE GO!”

Government-Sponsored Ablism and Segregation Tears Families Apart

This post is for Blogging Against Disablism Day, BADD, 2009. There’s a dark part of America’s past (and present) that few are aware of: government taking children from their families and placing them in institutions. It usually goes like this: doctors and social workers identify a disabled child, and advise the parents to send the … Continue reading “Government-Sponsored Ablism and Segregation Tears Families Apart”

Nothing About Long-Term Care In HHS Progress Report

In recent days, I’ve been scouring the HHS email updates for anything of relevance to people with disabilities and our struggle for freedom. Yesterday, HHS put out its Progress Report, “a comprehensive report on the Department’s progress over the first 100 days of the Obama Administration.” (PDF file) It contains NOTHING about long term care, … Continue reading “Nothing About Long-Term Care In HHS Progress Report”

Community Choice Act (CCA) Re-introduced!!

Today, March 24, the Community Choice Act was re-introduced in Congress by Senator Tom Harkin (D – Iowa) and Representative Danny Davis (D – Chicago)! It’s way past time for this legislation. Medicaid was passed in 1965, when medical technology was not advanced enough to allow severely disabled people to live at home, so institutionalization, … Continue reading “Community Choice Act (CCA) Re-introduced!!”

McCain Not Supporting The Community Choice Act

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”

Medicaid: Why It’s Broken and How To Fix It

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”

George W. Bush’s Health Care Plan

“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”

Horde of Medicaid Zombies Banging On Your Door

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”

How bad is your state’s Medicaid program?

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?”

Update: Medicaid Trying To Cut Us Off…Again

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”

Nick Produces Podcast Tackling Bush’s Health Care Plan

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”

More About Culling of the Sick in TN. Also, Bush Weighs In

  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

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”