Take Action
Oakland Mayors Commission on Person’s with Disabilities
Meets the second Monday of each month 1-3:30pm
City Hall Hearing Room Three, adjacent to the 14th Street entrance.
Berkeley Commission on Disability
Meets 2nd Wed 6:30pm
North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Avenue
City of Alameda Commission on Disability Issues
Meets 4th Mon at 6:30pm
Alameda City Hall, 2263 Santa Clara Avenue, Room 360.
Emeryville Commission on Aging
Meets 2nd Wednesday at 10am
Senior Center, 4321 Salem Street
Get Involved
Getting’ Down in Oak Town – Third Tues of the month 4-5pm
Oakland CIL 1904 Franklin St
Next meeting is March 13th, 2012
For more information email lsteinberg@cilberkeley.org
Your Rights in a Bag – 2nd and 4th Fri of the month 12-1pm
Berkeley CIL 3075 Adeline St
To suggest a topic, volunteer to lead a discussion, or ask for more information email lsteinberg@cilberkeley.org
News
MEDI-CAL LAWSUIT INFORMATION FROM THE MEDICAID DEFENSE FUND
The California Foundation for Independent Living Centers (CFILC) has agreed to sign on to the lawsuit filed by the Medicaid Defense Fund to halt the implementation of AB 97’s 10 percent across-the board cut in Medi-Cal provider payment rates, include pharmacy payment rates pending a hearing in the U.S. District Court on a motion for a preliminary injunction to stop the cut. Today, the State of California stipulated (i.e. agreed) that it will not implement the rate cuts. In addition, the Medicaid Defense Fund believes that it is a good sign that a judge noted for his support on freezing these kinds of cuts has been assigned to hear the case.
Thus, the Department of Health Care Services has agreed that it will not implement the cuts pending the preliminary injunction hearing set for December 19th. Accordingly, there will only be one hearing on the preliminary injunction.
The plaintiffs contend that this 10% rate cut is really a 20% rate cut, because 10% is to be taken out of prospective payments to Medi-Cal providers, plus, another 10% from the same payment checks, for the State to recoup retroactively 10% of all Medi-Cal payments made to the provider since June 1, 2011.
The plaintiffs say this will destroy the Medi-Cal program within a couple of weeks, if it is ever implemented, because no business, – let alone providers such as pharmacies who already operate on much less than a 10% net profit margin, – cannot withstand even a 10% cut, let alone a 20% gauge off the top, which this AB 97 rate cut amounts to.
Lynn S. Carman, chief counsel for the Plaintiffs in this suit, said: "This is a key win in the first round of this long
battle. We must keep focused on winning the preliminary injunction hearing on December 19, 2011."
Statewide Resources
Get daily reports from the California Disability Community Action Network
Connect to other youth with disabilities through YO! Disabled and Proud
Learn about the valuable work of the California State Independent Living Council
National Policy
Find out about the work being done by the National Council on Independent Living and how to get involved
Disability and the Arts
Stay up to date on the many fantastic performances of Axis Dance Company
Check out the cutting edge work of Sins Invalid