Dear Governor from Bison, Kansas

Dear Governor from Overland Park, Kansas

Dear Governor Brownback,

Sarah , 22 years old

As a parent of a developmentally disabled adult, I want to stress how important it is that your administration does not lump this group in with KanCare. My daughter, Sarah, is a 22 year old adult. When she was seven, she had a series of strokes that left her mentally and physically disabled. The doctors never did find a cause, but she has had to overcome many obstacles and requires 24 hour care. She will never be able to live independently. She requires nutrition fed through a g-button in her stomach. She can walk short distances with assistance, needs a wheelchair for longer distances and is non verbal. We are fortunate that her wonderful sense of humor, good-natured disposition and ability to think were not taken from her.

One cannot be expected to understand what is involved with caring for this special and vulnerable population unless you live it day to day. I suspect that many voting on this important piece of legislation fall into the category of not fully understanding. Bottom lines are important, however, people that cannot defend, advocate or protect themselves are much more important than any bottom line. The amount of support the disabled and their families receive from having a local case manager to help navigate the system to provide the best care for their loved ones will be lost. No matter what is being told to you and to us, an insurance company who is in business to make money is NOT going to be able to provide the proper residential, case management and day service care at the level this population deserves. If required to go into KanCare, services will no doubt be cut while abuse and neglect rise. This population should be protected and does not deserve to receive inadequate care.

Sarah, along with her father and I are voters. We along with other families and providers constitute a large and growing group. If you or the legislatures were parents of, or cared for a developmentally disabled child, you would not want your loved one put in this situation.


Sincerely,
Alane Cromer

Dear Governor from Pittsburg, Kansas

Dear Governor from Overland Park, Kansas

Dear Governor Brownback:

I am the parent of a 30 year old developmentally disabled daughter. Our daughter, Ashley has developmental delay plus explosive disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder. She lives in a group home and her care is very  complicated. This is also true with most of the DD citizens in our State of Kansas.  It is not one-size-fits all for our most vulnerable citizens.  Putting their long term care in the hands of insurance companies would be devastating. They do not have the expertise to handle the care of our loved ones who have such varied and diverse needs.

The system we have is working well.  There is no need for change.
It will mean so much to the developmentally disabled  and their families if I/DD long term care is carved out of KanCare.

I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,

Ray Rollins

Dear Governor from Mulberry, Kansas

Dear Governor, from Topeka, Kansas

I want to urge you to carve out long-term I/DD care services from KanCare.  My name is Erin Roberts and I am a concerned Kansan who has worked in the field of supporting Kansans with developmental disabilities for over 7 years.  As a marketing coordinator, I will admit I am no expert, but I know enough to understand that KanCare is not a good fit for the long-term services provided to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Long-term care services such as assisting persons with developmental disabilities to find (and maintain) jobs in the community, or providing residential assistance to help persons live independently are simply not services that should be managed by an insurance company.  These insurance companies lack experience and understanding of the non-medical services that help persons with I/DD live independent and meaningful lives!

Please, Governor, don't experiment with the care of Kansans with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Carve out long-term I/DD care services from KanCare today.

Sincerely,

Erin Roberts

Concerned Topekan