Women's National Law Center: didn't need to ask me twice!

Phuck Phil!

DANIELS WAIVER ALLOWS TN TO CUT BENEFITS FOR 140,000

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

October 30, 2009

Dear Elyssa:

Thank you for your message about reforming the process for determining eligibility for Social Security disability benefits. I appreciate hearing from you, and I certainly understand your interest in this matter.

This is an issue related to the federal government rather than state government. Unfortunately, as Governor, I do not have the ability to intervene in the operations of the federal government. Your comments would be more effectively addressed to your elected federal representatives: the President, one of our two United States Senators, or the Member of Congress who represents you in the United States House of Representatives. I am confident that they would welcome the opportunity to respond to your concerns.

I appreciate your willingness to bring this matter to my attention. As I continue to work for policies that are effective and beneficial to the people of Tennessee, I hope you will feel free to contact me whenever you have problems, suggestions or concerns related to state government.

Warmest regards,

Phil Bredesen

I TRIED NOTING: NUMBER OUT OF SERVICE #FAIL

 

PASSING THE BUCK: JUST STICK PHIL WITH THE BILL original document here!


MODIFIED POST // FOR "TRANSPARENCY"

YES! Another Letter to Congress!



Elyssa Durant, Ed.M.
Nashville, Tennessee
Cell: (615) 424-8810
ed70@columbia.edu



RE: White House Healthcare Forum
http://www.whitehouse.gov/





February 12, 2009

Dear President Obama & Members of Congress:

There are widespread reports that Phil Bredesen, Governor of Tennessee is being considered for a position with the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, DC.

As someone who has lived and voted in the state of Tennessee since 1996, I have witnessed several shifts in policy, both on the local and federal levels. I am a recipient of TennCare, Social Security, and a member of the Daniels Class.

Governor Phil Bredesen has no place in Washington. Please remove his name from consideration for a cabinet position with HHS.

Order Setting Aside Daniels Daniels Court Doc

Governor Bredesen is currently "holding off on spending" until he learns what federal aid will become available to the residents of Tennessee. I am urging you to take immediate action. PLEASE do SOMETHING! Anything! Sign before it is too late.

Even under of the best of economic circumstances, the state has often been reluctant to release state monies until they are in physical receipt of all federal matching dollars. This delays program implementation and compromises the integrity of the research design. Consistency is a critical component of effective program development and design.

Governor Bredesen had decided to hold back state funds until the final details of the stimulus package worked out, were finalized. Anyone who has followed the healthcare crisis in Tennessee will tell you, Bredesen is not the champion of healthcare we once hoped he would be.

If we hold off on making decisions about the state budgets until the details of this enormous, comprehensive package are finalized, our current programs will suffer as a result.

We cannot wait for a determination regarding federal funding before we to determine our state budget while before we of the programs we already are suffering financially.

Let me assure you that when it comes to withholding critical items like food, housing, social services, it adds up exponentially. Withholding medical care simply because of procedure and bureaucratic red tape, is shameful and cruel. The money is there, but it seems there should be a certain level of oversight and accountability if we expect it to be used effectively without delay and without excessive administrative delay and costs.

How do I know this? Because I used to work for the state during the time when they not only made the as they were transitioning to during the transition from I used to work for TennCare,

We need to have some level of accountability to ensure the timely and proper disbursement of funds. In my experience, there is little recourse for person’s individuals who are caught up in the complicated payment arrangements, complicated language, and the systematic, procedural delay when it comes to the processing and payment of claims.

Let me personally assure you, that there is a very real human cost here as well... and unless there is immediate intervention, much more than just money will be lost.

Please sign the bill before any more jobs, homes, and future are ruined by because help did not fast enough. Please release the funds, because we are running out of time.

I am 36, and my spinal cord is damaged from years of delayed, sub-standard medical treatment as I attempted to navigate a system that simply does not work. I owe the federal government $179,982.00 in student loans. When I am able to work, I make $10.46/hour as a substitute teacher in MNPS. That job comes with no security and no benefits.

I have an advanced master’s degree from an Ivy League Institution. I am eight credits shy of a Ph.D. in "Policy Development & Program Evaluation" aka: public policy. Despite having maintained a 3.83 grade point average while earning my masters and just over 3.2 during the three years I was enrolled full time in a doctoral program.

Despite having comparable coverage, the insurance company refused to give me COBRA and would not cover my pre-existing condition even through both Columbia and Vanderbilt Universities used the same underwriter for student medical insurance: Chickering US HealthScare.

I had no break in coverage and even purchased a private HMO (Oxford) plan that cost several hundred dollars each month just so I could prevent becoming uninsurable before my 23rd birthday.

Wrong. Not only did I continue to pay for all three policies, I also had to pay for treatment and STILL wound up on TennCare and Medicaid.

Despite doing all the "right" things, I was still unable to transfer benefits from one graduate school to the next.

When I was twenty-two years old I developed a medical condition, and it quickly became obvious to me that it would be a lifelong struggle to cope and adapt to having physical disability. I purchased three independent policies, however due to a terminal liability in am ERISA plan, with $1 million dollar major medical policy. As someone who also needed to turn to federal funds and intervention in a crisis, I know that if or when help does arrive, it usually too late.

I understand the how; I just don't understand why.

Maybe one of these days Vanderbilt University and the Department of Education will realize it might just be cheaper to hire me that harass me. I need a real paying job now, but with the skyrocketing unemployment rate, it looks as though I will have a lot of competition.

Throughout the three year process of filing medical appeal after the next, I acquired over 1/4 million dollars in debt in unreimbursed medical care and student loans. I was fortunate enough be able t keep my TennCare that time—only because the state mandated a 30 hour work week, because at 32 hours, your benefits kick in.

Even while in the states employ, I witnessed a pattern of behavior that was reckless and harmful to the citizens of Tennessee. In fact, there were so many changes during short time I was there the time I was there that even my colleagues in the office of consumer affairs did not know about them until we were a formal complaint had been filed by a consumer in crisis.

There was so much chaos in the system because consumers and were not given sufficient information and the state was completely unprepared to respond to the large number of people who their benefits terminated, limited, or transferred. It took several months to update the medical database used to verify insurance coverage, and many more to get that information in sync with pharmacies and providers. Recipients were left in the dark, probably because it was easier that way.

State of Tennessee CONSUMER AFFAIRS  http://www.tennessee.gov/

Although I doubt many people people outside of Tennessee are aware of the harsh policies enacted during the Bredesen administration. His endless assault on the state’s Medicaid & Medicare programs resulted in 271,000 people to be dropped off the roles. People who are uninsurable or cannot afford health insurance. He has requested multiple federal waiver to limit federal law rights under the Medicaid Act, and Social Security beneficiaries. Is not the kind of man we want to lead HHS into a new era of reform. He has demonstrated a wanton disregard for the welfare of his own constituents should not be rewarded with a cabinet position in the new administration. He has failed this state, and now it costing money. Where it will come from, I don't know. Perhaps he will turn to the feds.

SSA Form 9SORRY FOLKS ~> ERROR! GRRR! GO TO ORIGINAL DOCUMENT FOR EMBEDDED FORMS >:-/

Now, again, I face losing my healthcare coverage once again. Please do something, and do it quick. I would not wish this experience on my worst enemy,

Unemployment rates in the state of Tennessee are at an all-time high, yet welfare roles have remained stable. This tells us that despite the financial crisis and sad state of the Tennessee economy, people are not able to access emergency aid that we would expect people to receive in times of economic hardship.

Where is the safety net? Where is the American Dream that I so diligently chased after for so many years? What was the point of investing so much in a future that I can never enjoy? How can anyone justify spending so money much on an education that will never be used?

What will happen when the state begins the 140,000 members of the Daniels Class? DHS has not been able to process the applications already on file. As the unemployment rate continues to go up, we need to be sure that applications for emergency assistance are processed within a reasonable period.

I have no idea how they intend to handle the growing number of unemployed, uninsured, people in need of emergency assistance given that they are already overwhelmed by the number of applications already on file. Is it a really a good time to start the recertification of the 140,000 members of the Daniels Class?

DANIELS

Let us hope the state is not granted another federal waiver or we are all in trouble.

Sincerely yours,

Elyssa Durant

Nashville, TN

Previously Posted as "we are so screwed. phil opts out of all options"

Criminalizing the Poor

It deeply disturbs me that some states finger print Medicaid, Food Stamp and Social Welfare applicants.

I was shocked to witness this first hand in New York State while I was a graduate student at Columbia. My health insurance would not cover due to pre-existing conditions and I went bankrupt (financially, morally, and in every way that counts) spending over $152,000 in student loans trying to maintain my health so I could finish my PhD in public policy. A pipe dream now... I ran out of money (and faith in the system) the last semester of my degree.

As if they don't treat those living in poverty bad enough in America, must they send an underlying message that we are criminals as well? They sure treat us that way.

Please tell me what crime I committed. I would be happy to serve my time. At least I could count on being fed, housed, and govt. healthcare!

Elyssa Durant, Ed.M.
Nashville, Tennessee
United States of America

Identity Theft or TennCare Fraud?

There are a lot of things in the financial world that do not make sense. Such as having my tax return rejected from the IRS because someone had filed a tax return using my social security number.

Countless calls to the IRS, and although they were able to identify the person who had used my number fraudulently, they would not release that information to me so I could file a police report for identity theft (as I was instructed to do by regulatory authorities.) It took the IRS 9 months to send my refund, something that most people receive in less than 2 weeks.

So, after about a decade of this situation, and going through the motions year after year, to provide alternative forms of Income verification, I think I am well within my rights to be a little agitated.

This year I will be fling for an extension, as other related issues are currently under investigation.

Now I don't have much money, in fact I don't have any, but I find white collar crime despicable and repulsive.

When taken into account the substantial cost to society, not to mention the havoc it wreaked on my life, I respectfully think that maybe you should not assume that someone is making false claims just because you don't think it sounds "right."

Lots of things don't "sound right" however that doesn't mean they aren't true. Gotta go now, I have a date with eBay to auction my social security card
To the highest bidder. Clearly, it is not worth anything to me so long as the authorities fail to do their part in ENFORCING the laws associated with Identity theft. Sure, it is easy to blame the victim as being irresponsible or somehow negligent in these situations, however I will refer you to some fascinating research that has been done on the emotional consequences of Identity theft. The cost is far more than just an issue of financial discomfort, it is something that can ultimately leave you questioning your own identity.

It should be noted that Identity theft is a criminal matter, so whatever costs associated with such events, the victim is not reimbursed for any of the costs associated with having their life disrupted by something that is ultimately completely beyond their control.

It happens more often than you think, and it is a complicated, intricate, and time intensive to resolve such crimes, are in more complicated... To be continued...

Edd, Ed.M.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

Work to Welfare: The Hardest Job I Never Had

Work to Welfare: The Hardest Job I Never Had
By Elyssa Durant - Feb 11th, 2009
(Previously posted online at:http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/blog/elyssadurant)

I remember how difficult it was for me to obtain benefits when I first applied several years ago. I am deeply concerned about how the most recent decision to eradicate yet another class of TennCare / Medicaid recipients (the Daniels class made up of SSI recipients by way of a pending federal waiver) will affect the poor and disabled residents in Tennessee. Without my current level of benefits, I simply do not function.

Before my benefits were stabilized, learning to navigate the system consumed every waking moment of my life. I was unable to work or attend school on any substantial level and I am frightened to see at might happen if I were to stray from my established, stabilized, treatment plan. If I lose my benefits, will I still be able to work? To function? To be productive?

Any new public program requires careful planning if it is to be effective. Recent discussions have not focused on the true impact these changes will have on the "street-level."

Has anyone asked recipients how they feel the new program (safety- net) should be designed, implemented, or evaluated? How will this impact the community and other social service or welfare agencies??? I want access, quality, and outcomes. I want... I want... I want!!!

The massive number of people being dis-enrolled or limited in their access to medical care and other social services will no doubt create significant anxiety, confusion, and chaos for everyone involved in the social service and health care industries.

I remember when Mr. Brian Lapps was somewhere very high up on the corporate TennCare ladder in 1999 when they adjusted the prescription formulary over Memorial Day in 1999. I see Mr. Lapps quite frequently since he now works at the local gas station down the street from where I live.

To this day, he insists that cell phones and TennCare are somehow contraindicated. Perhaps he knows nothing of the population he claims to know just all-too-well... housing conditions that may or may not have electricity, broken families-some riddled with community violence and domestic disturbances. In the hood, your cell phone is your very best friend. 9-1-1.

These people plagued by domestic violence and community instability makes a cell phone the only logical option. How can you find a job with out a phone? How can you find a home with out a job? Yet even 6 years later, Mr. Lapps uses cellular phones as an example how the TennCare program is being abused by lazy, cheap, and unscrupulous second hand citizens who are just shiftless lazy bums waiting around for their next free hand-out.

Anyone who has EVER applied for or relied upon any kind of government subsidy to have their basic needs met, e.g., food, shelter, medical care, dental treatment, etc... let me personally assure you that there has never been a single time where I felt I was "pulling one over" on the government. I am not just one of the poor saps who believed what they told me they in school, I bought it hook, line, and sinker for the mere price of $179,982.00 and not a shred of financial security to show for it.

Even after consolidating my student loans, the interest alone is $10 less than my monthly income from social security.

Tennesseee is in the process of applying for yet ANOTHER federal waiver to eliminate the "Daniels" class of Medicaid recipients-- the poorest and sickest of all. SSI Recipients. Can you live on $623.00 / month? Can anyone?

So what happens now that the state of Tennessee will begin to cut off social security recipients from TennCare? I honestly do not think I can survive yet another re-certification process-- God knows the first one almost killed me. After three years of appeals, my condition had deteriorated so severely that I was forced to drop out of school, lost my home, lost my sanity, and lost hope. In short-- I lost my dignity and my belief in the social welfare system.

By the time my benefits were approved, I had already checked myself in to NYU Psych Ward because simply could not cope with the reality of what my life I had become. I weighed 94 pounds and suffered in excruciating pain that has only gotten worse with time. My extremities were ice cold, and my hands were numb since I went without medical treatment for the spinal injury that was first discovered when I was 22.

I am now 36 years old. My spinal cord is now damaged from years of delayed, sub-standard medical treatment. I owe the federal government $179,982.00 in student loans and when I am able to work, I make $10.46 / hour as a substitute teacher in an urban school district. That job comes with no security and no benefits. It does however offer the flexibility I need to receive the bi-monthly epidural injections and other procedures necessary to manage my pain and alleviate the numbness I feel because of the damage to my nerves. And even though I cannot afford the gas money to get my appointments, pay for all of my medication, or even to get back and forth to work, it does allow me a few weeks of mobility so I can drive, use my mouse or hold a pen.

I have an advanced master's degree from an Ivy League Institution. I am 12 credits shy of a PhD in public policy. And despite maintaining a 3.83 grade point average while completing an advanced masters in social and educational policy at an, "Ivy League" institution; a 3.2 GPA during the 3 years I spent working on my doctorate at a not-quite-so-prestigious Graduate School; The Powers That Beat in that damn Ivory Tower don't will not grant me any leniency by extending the amount or time permitted to complete my degree-- a rule that was changed while I was on a formal leave of absence tending to my health (and my Medicaid appeals!). Not only did they decide 8 years was the rule instead of the 10 it had been previously, I was also told that I could not even transfer the credits I had earned toward a different degree towards another program at the same institution. It has been just over ten years since I first enrolled. What a mistake that was!

The "Harvard of the South" no longer offerers the degree to which I was admitted-- and enrolled so they actually suggested that I pay for a 3rd application to the school (I was admitted into two degrees-- the MPP as well as the PhD program in a separate college) requiring two independent applications, fees, transcripts, test scores, even way back when I was still considered a promising candidate. Now "they" think it is reasonable to ask that I do it all over again??? It goes without saying that I do not have the financial resources available to finish my last semester, take the GREs or GMATs one more time, or even the money to release my transcripts from the Graduate School into any other program at the same University, I guess I am just shit out of luck.

To be clear, WE ARE ALL PAYING for that student debt because I can assure you that their endowment is far greater than any income or earning potential I have given my current financial status and student loan debt! To be clear, YOU ARE ALL PAYING to keep me on Welfare. Yes, all of us are paying some price..... We I want to work. I want to be productive. I want to be a part of something greater than myself. I want to share what I've learned.

So throughout the years I struggled to stay in school, believing somehow that social justice would prevail, and my heart and dedication towards the greater good would show through to whomever, wherever, or whatever that could make my degree worth while-- the Medicaid and disability applications managed to take front seat. So as I filed appeal after appeal after appeal, I managed to acquire well over 1/4 million (yes-- MILLION) dollars in debt due to uninsured medical expenses and student loans. Despite having 3 Major Medical insurance policies, I still went bankrupt applying for Medicaid. Morally Bankrupt.

My life will never be the same. My heart will never be the same. I want to pay my bills on time. I want to get off welfare, but no one ever taught me how to be poor.

So after all this-- now I face losing my healthcare once again? Where is the safety net? Where is the American Dream that I so diligently chased after for so many years? What was the point spending so much on an education that will never be utilized? I understand the how; I just don't understand why.

Maybe one of these days Vanderbilt University or and the Department of Education will realize it might just be cheaper to hire me that harass me, because unless I find a real paying job soon, their collections department will no longer be able to reach me on that extravagant lifeline my friend, Brian Lapps, refers to as a luxury.

If anyone on your staff would like to "trade places" with me for one month-I will gladly assume his/her responsibilities for that position if you can find a writer who is willing to endure and write about the reality of social services in our fine state. I do not want a paycheck from your organization; I just want the opportunity to put the myth of freeloading welfare mother s to rest. Live in my shoes for 30 days. Can you find the out? Can you balance my budget and make it work? Can you get the bill collectors of my back? Can you afford Internet service to file state job applications and apply for services online? Can you maintain pride and dignity without feeling the least bit sorry for yourself and the choices you have made?

When I go to the pharmacy, I am humiliated that I do not have the $3.00 necessary for the co-pay on my covered TennCare prescriptions. At least when it was $40 dollars, I was not so damn embarrassed by my lack of funds.

Remind me again why I went to school. Remind me once more why I bother to speak out. Then remind me right now that that there is somebody listening. I cannot be the only one who actually gives a crap. My contact information is listed below.


Elyssa Durant, Ed.M.
Nashville, Tennessee
elyssa.durant@columbia.edu
(Former doctoral student in public policy)


___________________________________________________

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Understand Report to Admin
By Karen-Missouri Ozarks for Obama! Feb 11th 2009 at 7:48 am EST

(Updated Feb 11th 2009 at 7:48 am EST)

Your writing is very good. Have you considered writing articles and books?

I will turn 60 this summer, worked very hard to put myself through college and support my kids (ex skipped out and never paid the $52,000plus he owed for child support and of course the system never collected it either). I worked in accounting then lacked 2 courses of having my Master's but did teach for 13 years (both private post-secondary and high school).

A heart attack and 2 stents later and Type 2 diabetes...I too wonder sometimes why I spent so much on college. I now work from home with crafts, thinking about doing some writing (I did win 3rd place on a Christian writing website...that's encouraging), and live on a very tiny tiny tiny pension. Even with good insurance, I no longer take medicines or go to doctor's and for the past 3 years have been just doing all the "natural" ways...diet, less stress in my life, etc. Even with good insurance, medicines were over $100 a month...ridiculous! I have no other choice but to live life to its fullest and spend time with grandkids and pray for the best and a relatively longer life.

I ache not so much for me, but for my kids and grandchildren who have to really, really struggle right now.

I had to deal with the awful Nixon wage/price controls where the only way to get a raise was quit and get a new higher-paying one. I dealt with Reagan's so-called "trickle down" economics" and watched the greed of corporate CEOs take over this country (and we've never recovered from either president's ill-conceived policies). Notice how the Republicans always bring up Reagan but never Nixon's failed policies!

Anyway, thanks for your writing...I understand what you're talking about.


ALSO AVAILABLE:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/community/post/elyssadurant/gGxh4R/commentary

TennCare Cuts 150,000

150,000 Tennesseans may lose their TennCare May 1!

The records of 150,000 people on TennCare are currently being reviewed internally by TennCare to determine if they may be eligible for another TennCare eligibility category. About 17,00 people are also in another open Medicaid category. On May 1, the first of 40,000 letters will be mailed out monthly requesting additional information until all 150,000 people get their letters. They will have limited number of days to reply or appeal when they get their letter.

What do I need to do before May 1? (See below)

Who will this impact: SSI/Daniels TennCare enrollees

These enrollees are former SSI recipients who are not currently receiving an SSI check. If you are still receiving a monthly SSI check, you should not get a letter.

Yes! But who are these enrollees? They are thousands of Tennesseans who have children with very serious medical conditions or adults who have a very serious medical condition. Even though these folks may not be eligible for another TennCare category, thousands of these
folks have serious medical conditions and will have no other place to go to get the medical care they need.

What is this all about?

This group of TennCare enrollees have been protected since 1988 by the federal court that determined that these enrollees should stay on Medicaid until Tennessee is able to determine that they are not eligible for another TennCare eligibility category. Since 2007, the governor actively pushed this in federal court and the federal court has now given TennCare permission to make these cuts.

Why is this happening now?

Because the state says that "it is not fair for these folks to keep their coverage while others cannot get it." However, we say: "It is not fair to cut thousands of very sick, vulnerable people off TennCare when there is no place for them to go to get the medical care they need."

Who are these enrollees?
• 14,905 are children under the age of 19
• 90,000 are dual eligible
• 872 are children who are seriously emotionally disturbed
• 15,754 are adults who are seriously persistently mentally ill

What services do the 90,000 dual eligibles receive now that they will not receive when they lose their TennCare?

1. Mental health case management
2. Non-emergency transportation
3. Inpatient hospital services beyond the Medicare limit (150 days)
4. Psychiatric hospital services beyond the Medicare limit (190 days)
5. Home health services for individuals who are not homebound
6. Home health services that serve a "custodial" purpose (Medicare exempts coverage of custodial care.
7. TennCare says that medically necessary home health care cannot be denied because it is "custodial" in nature).
8. Private duty nursing
9. EPSDT services (Early Periodic Services Diagnosis and Treatment - This is for children)
10. 24 hour residential treatment
11. Mental health crisis services
12. Psychiatric rehabilitation services
13. SNF services beyond the Medicare limit (100 days)

Action Step #1: Attend meeting in Nashville, April 23 11am-1pm

United Way in Nashville, 250 Venture Circle, Nashville, TN 37228 (Email tgarr@thcc2.org) me if you can attend the Nashville meeting at tgarr@thcc2.org)

~OR~

organize a meeting of your area and call the Tennessee Health Care Campaign at (877)431-7083. We will make every effort to make a presentation in your area.

Action Step #2: Call your two state legislators toll-free 1-800-449-8366 or go to:
http://ent.groundspring.org/EmailNow/pub.php?module=URLTracker&cmd=track&j=269252315&u=2901682

and ask them to do two things:

1. Immediately open the Medically Needy Program - Not everyone but thousands of Tennesseans who are cut from SSI/Daniels could qualify for the Medically Needy Program.

2. Eliminate the cap on Access Tennessee and provide additional funding for premium assistance. This program has a cap of 6,000 enrollees and has a waiting list of 4,300 people. It has also run out of money for premium assistance.

TennCare has over $500 million in TennCare reserves, over $750 million in its Rainy Day Fund, and receiving over $1.1 Billion in additional federal stimulus money just for TennCare. It is time to take care of Tennesseans and make them the state's priority.

Action Step #3: Call two legislative leaders who can make this happen.
Call Senator Randy McNally, Chair of the Senate Finance Committee - 1--800-449-8366, extension 16806
Call Representative Craig Fitzhugh, Chair of the House Finance Committee - 1-800-449-8366, extension 12134

COURTESY: TENNSESSE HEALTH CARE CAMPAIGN

1103 Chapel Ave.
Nashville, Tennessee 37206
United States

Drastic Times

Drastic Times, Drastic Measures
Read more about economic recovery at: http://my.barackobama.com/sharestories
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1459637/drastic_times_drastic_measures.html



America Needs Economic Recovery
We're often asked how we plan to take this unique moment in history - when a grassroots movement for change elected a president - and turn it into a force that can build stronger communities, block by block. read more... http://change.gov


Drastic Times, Drastic Measures: America in Need of Economic Recovery

http://my.barackobama.com/sharestories

As I was thinking about how to respond to the numerous requests from the Obama Transition Team that has been sent out to numerous community organizers and political activists and agencies across the country, I am reminded of my graduate school days where I lived in what Jonathan Kozol refers to as Manhattan's "Liberal West Side."

During the time I lived there, in the mid-late 1990's, the American Sociological Association (ASA) held its annual conference in New York City. Prior to that meeting, they sent out a fact sheet that may be of interest to ASA members. In this sheet, they too described the same social conditions and asked their members to take note of the changes that occur at 96th Street. I can assure you that the conditions Kozol describes in his book were

not exaggerated.

Oddly enough, the very same area was undergoing rapid transformation and gentrification at the time Mayor Rudolph Giuliani took office. As described in Amazing Grace, the South Bronx is one of the most severely segregated and poorest Congressional Districts in the United States. The members of this community have been segregated into a hell plagued with sickness, violence and despair. Kozol argues that this strategic placement serves to isolate the rich from the realities they have thrust upon their fellow man. New Yorkers do not stroll through the streets of Mott Haven, and taxicabs take no short cuts through Beekman Avenue. Many taxicabs will not even venture past East 96th Street. Out of sight is out of mind.

There is no excuse for the living conditions of these children and their families. No person should be forced into an apartment that has a higher ratio of cockroaches and rats than to human beings.

These children are desperately in need of the best schools, yet we give them the worst. They have few libraries, few safe havens, few doctors, and few role models. They have every reason to believe that they are throwaway children and we have certainly not shown them anything else. The social services we have provided are a bureaucratic nightmare. People in need are treated as sub-human, and made to feel ashamed of being poor.

These are among the sickest children in the world. Americans claim to be dedicated to the children and fool ourselves into believing that we are doing them a favor by providing them with medical care, public education, and public housing. Yet, the quality of their neighborhoods speaks volumes of our sentiment and intentions.

Shortly after the publication of Amazing Grace, managed care rapidly moved onto the New York scene. Around the same time, the Mayor announced he would be closing some of the hospitals that served the poorest of the poor because of financial problems associated with payment and large trauma departments.

Kozol makes the point that people could attempt to gain admissions at a better hospital than Bronx-Lebanon; yet, the privatization of Medicaid made this completely impossible. Further restrictions on medical care are inevitable as a direct result of Medicaid managed care plans. The law is not designed to protect the poor, the fragile, and the disenfranchised.

This was made obvious in a recent conversation I had with a friend who practices emergency medicine on the elite Upper East Side of Manhattan. My friend works as a board certified trauma physician at a private hospital on the Upper East Side. The last black patient he treated at Beth Israel was famed rock singer Michael Jackson.

This is the reality. The best doctors treat the healthy and wealthy instead of the people who have the greatest need. They give no thought to the equitable distribution of services; they just file insurance claims and billing statements. Doctors should consider who stands to could benefit the most from their skill and experience. Perhaps we should invert the payment schedule so physicians and other health care providers should receive a higher rate of reimbursement for treating the most vulnerable populations.

Patients with the greatest need get the worst care.

Great teachers teach great students in great neighborhoods. This makes no sense!

And we wonder why the division between the have and the have-nots continues to grow?

People often ask me why I am so angry about the living conditions of poor urban minorities. My response—how can you not be enraged by the way we treat our own citizens? Children who did not ask to be born into poverty and substandard living conditions. Why aren't you angry? I cannot be the only one who places human kindness, dignity, and integrity above the lure of the almighty dollar!

I have thought for many years that the system is upside down, and I become more and more convinced of that as I grow older. To paraphrase the message of the new Windows Vista commercial, The Mayor's campaign slogan, or any number of economists trying to figure out what to tweak, where, and just how much... clearly there is a level of inter-connectedness that exists between the various sectors of the American marketplace and economy. Give them a real challenge.

Similarly, many different things influence the human condition by upsetting the delicate balance between those who can and those who do. We need to focus on improving the lives of those who might... People who can and do amazing things when given the chance. People who can excel under the right set of circumstances given the right support, the right guidance, the right tools, and the right opportunities. People who may not have the monetary (financial) resources to invest in themselves, their families, or their communities.

We must take action on a number of fronts to create some type of stability in our country, our economy, and the international marketplace. We need to start here, now, in our own communities, schools, and invest in ourselves.

Did it really take a $700 Billion wake up call for our citizens to realize that that all is not well in America. It is time to get real about healthcare. It is time to get real about education. It is time to get real about the cost of education. It is time to get real about this god-forsaken war that we are still in!

This country is in desperate need of a wake-up call, and we must develop a course of action that embraces a multi-dimensional approach and vast restructuring of the laissez faire way of regulating healthcare in the past.

Tell Washington, "HEALTHCARE IS A HUMAN RIGHT!"

Tell our children, "WE BELIEVE IN YOUR FUTURE!"

Tell the people in your community, "WE ARE IN THIS TOGETHER!"

Tell the for-profit healthcare industry, "WE ARE NOT FOR SALE!"

I am not for sale, yet my healthcare company pimps me out based upon their ability to negotiate with fat cat for profit healthcare giants like HCA and First Health who are by no means the business to make people well! It does not take a rocket scientist to see the perverse incentive to keep people sick and dependent upon costly medications and treatment protocols.

Look at the facts; if we get healthy, they go broke! So let's shake it up a bit, and turn this sad state of affairs upside down!

If we are to find some resolution to the unprecedented, simultaneous collapse of the economy, the market place and/or government and the collapsing housing market in United States, it seems obvious that people, the economy, healthcare, education confidence and faith in the American people it is time to take drastic efforts to strengthen our greatest asset and hope for the future: Our children!

Drastic times call for drastic measures!

Let's start with education: Next year, I want Harvard to take in the worst students. Take the worst students who would not have made it past the front door of the admissions office. Take the worst students. Students who did not break a thousand on their SATs and barely made it through watered-down high school curriculum. Let them benefit from a first class education.

Guess what Harvard? The smart kids don't need you! They are already ahead of the game. We can sit them in a corner for a year or two because they do not need the Ivy League to succeed. By definition, they are already streamlined for success and they will no doubt be great with or without you!

There is no doubt that the prevalence of violence in urban neighborhoods affects the ability of children to perform well in school. There is a large body of empirical evidence that demonstrates the effects of chronic stress on memory and the learning process.

Rather than taking the children out of these communities, we have constructed prison like buildings for them to attend school. They routinely have gunfire drills reminding them that danger is never far behind.

Children cannot learn in this environment. This constant stress triggers "hot-memory." Hot memory can be thought of as learning with your heart and not your mind. It is no wonder children perform inadequately in this environment. It is bad enough that children live in such conditions, must we educate in them too. If we want underprivileged children to learn and grow spiritually, we must create an environment that allows their cool memory systems to take over. It is only under these conditions that children will permit themselves to learn and develop their intellectual strengths.

We have failed to create a safe home environment for urban children, but we can give serious thought to creating a school environment outside of the community so they have fewer fear-driven hours each day.

It is any wonder that these children perform poorly in school. By every measure, these children are destined for failure. Their home life is less than enchanting, and they do not benefit from enriched environments and educated parents. Certainly, there are many dedicated parents who care about their children, but is that enough? When I was in school, children frequently asked the teacher, how this would help later in life. As a young girl in a suburban classroom, there was an unequivocal reply, but it could be argued that what children in the South Bronx need to learn cannot be taught in the classroom.

Studies consistently report lower academic achievement in urban neighborhoods like Mott Haven in the South Bronx. Children growing up in urban neighborhoods have a much higher incidence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Most researchers believe this to be the direct result of living in stressed communities plagued with street crime and violence. The potential impact of chronic stress on academic performance and achievement is not known, but reading scores in neighborhoods like Mott Haven certainly seem to indicate some type of causal relationship. There is virtually no research on looking at the long-term effects of this inflated incidence of PTSD among urban populations. It is important to develop an understanding of the effects of fear on the academic performance of urban adolescents so we can begin to dismantle the myths regarding school performance and minority children.

Under these conditions, it is not surprising to learn that students also report pervasive feelings of fear and do not feel secure despite the added presence of security personnel on school grounds. For these students, school is a mere extension of the violent communities in which they live.

Since urban communities have many different sources of stress, it is important to examine how school policies contribute to the learning environment in public schools.

The quick response has been to install weapons detectors and hire school security for urban schools. The presence of school security certainly affects the climate of American public schools and sends a symbolic message to members of the community, the world, and especially the students themselves regarding the role they are expected to play as they mature into adolescents and young adulthood.

The school rules mimic are not unlike those one might expect to find in a state prison. Students are rewarded for obedience and they are taught to follow the rules rather than to think critically. On the back of the No Child Left Behind legislation, we indoctrinate our youngest members of society with "core curriculum" and "Back to Basics." Students across the country are judged on their ability to regurgitate facts on high-stakes standardized tests.

Lesson plans are filled with repetition exercises and workbook pages rather than student projects or classroom discussion. We teach conformity, rules, and limits. We teach kids to be blind followers. The skills we are teaching are better suited for prison rather than the real world. Teachers are teaching the kids to follow rules, to conform, and to reward obedience rather than creativity.

The secured environment is an indication of the roles students are expected to play later in life. This is a lesson they will not soon forget. School rules and core curriculum makes classroom silencing an everyday event in the urban classroom. And as my list of "off-limit" subject matter grows longer each term, the need to bring such things into the dialogue becomes more and more apparent. I actually have a printed list of topics that I am forbidden to discuss in the classroom: The election, politics, race, religion, suicide, pregnancy. The more topics they add, the more relevant they become. The unspoken truth has becomes louder and louder the more we are silenced. There is a big pink elephant standing in the middle of my classroom! There is a big pink elephant in the middle of our community!

By focusing on student behavior rather than student skills, knowledge, and achievement, we are showing all members of the school, the community, and the children themselves that we have already given up. Together, the urban public school and the community it serves are a constant reminder of the perpetual cycle of poverty and the poor living conditions and social reality that continue to plague urban America.

Kozol makes it quite clear that there are several exceptional children in this community. There are probably as many exceptional children here as every other community around the country, yet, so few of them will make it out of the South Bronx. Kozol is careful not to dwell on the exceptional cases of children who successfully navigate their way into the main stream of society. Kozol does this so we do not develop a false sense of hope. If we cling to a few exceptional cases, we may come to believe that what we are giving enough to children like Anthony or Anabelle.

Clearly, we can do more. Failure should be the exception—not the rule. Success should be the norm, and until it is, we should not give up hope for these children.

This is our time to let our voices be heard. Any number of social justice agencies from moveon.org, to Cover the Uninsured, to Families USA, Center for Community Change, Health Care for America Now; have opened the blogosphere so that everyday common folk like you and I can submit our opinions to the Transition Team in Washington. They are begging us to participate, to give our opinions, to let our voices be heard. They need our help. Let us make this the country we are proud to call home. Let this be a new beginning for us all, and let us make this a land of real opportunity.

America claims to be dedicated to equal opportunity, yet equality is not sufficient in a community like Mott Haven. These kids need more. We need to think about equity, not equality. It is not enough to hide them away. Be silenced no more.

A Must See Video!

Bredesen for HHS?

February 12, 2009

There are widespread reports that Phil Bredesen of Tennessee is being considered for a position with the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington, DC.

As someone who has lived and voted in the state of Tennessee since 1996, I have witnessed several shifts in policy, both on the local and federal levels. I am a recipient of TennCare, Social Security, and I a member of the Daniels Class. Governor Phil Bredesen has no place in Washington. Please remove his name from consideration for a cabinet position with HHS.

Governor Bredesen is currently "holding off in spending" until he learns what federal aid will become available to the residents of Tennessee. I am urging you to take immediate action. PLEASE sign the economic recovery package before it is too late.

Even under of the best of economic circumstances, the state has often been reluctant to release state monies until they are in physical receipt of all federal matching dollars. This delays program implementation and compromises the integrity of the research design. Consistency is a critical component of effective program development and design.

Governor Bredesen had decided to hold back state funds until the final details of the stimulus package worked out, were finalized. Anyone who has followed the healthcare crisis in Tennessee will tell you, Bredesen is not the champion of healthcare we once hoped he would be.

If we hold off on making decisions about the state budgets until the details of this enormous, comprehensive package are finalized, our current programs will suffer as a result.

We cannot wait for a determination regarding federal funding before we to determine our state budget while before we of the programs we already are suffering financially.

Let me assure you that when it comes to withholding critical items like food, housing, social services, it adds up exponentially. Withholding medical care simply because of procedure and bureaucratic red tape, is shameful and cruel. The money is there, but it seems there should be a certain level of oversight and accountability if we expect it to be used effectively without delay and without excessive administrative delay and costs.

How do I know this? Because I used to work for the state during the time when they not only made the as they were transitioning to during the transition from I used to work for TennCare,

We need to have some level of accountability to ensure the timely and proper disbursement of funds. In my experience, there is little recourse for person’s individuals who are caught up in the complicated payment arrangements, complicated language, and the systematic, procedural delay when it comes to the processing and payment of claims.

Let me personally assure you, that there is a very real human cost here as well... and unless there is immediate intervention, much more than just money will be lost. Please sign the bill before any more jobs, homes, and future are ruined by because help did not fast enough. Please release the funds, because we are running out of time.

I am 36, and my spinal cord is damaged from years of delayed, sub-standard medical treatment as I attempted to navigate a system that simply does not work. I owe the federal government $179,982.00 in student loans. When I am able to work, I make $10.46/hour as a substitute teacher in MNPS. That job comes with no security and no benefits.

I have an advanced master’s degree from an Ivy League Institution. I am nine credits shy of a Ph.D. in public policy. Despite having maintained a 3.83 grade point average while earning my masters, and just over 3.2 during the three years I was enrolled full time in a doctoral program.

Despite having comparable coverage, the insurance company refused to give me COBRA and would not cover my pre-existing condition even through both Columbia and Vanderbilt Universities used the same underwriter for student medical insurance: Chickering US HealthScare.

I had no break in coverage, and even purchased a private HMO (Oxford) plan that cost several hundred dollars each month just so I could prevent becoming uninsurable before my 25th birthday.

Wrong. Not only did I continue to pay for all three policies, I also had to pay for treatment and STILL wound up on TennCare and Medicaid.

Despite doing all the "right" things, I was still unable to transfer benefits from one graduate school to the next.

When I was twenty-two years old I developed a medical condition, and it quickly became obvious to me that it would be a lifelong struggle to cope and adapt to having physical disability. I purchased three independent policies, and was still covered under a terminal liability clause under a major medical ERISA (federal) plan. As someone who also needed to turn to federal funds and intervention in a crisis, I know that if or when help does arrive, it usually too late.

Where is the safety net? Where is the American Dream that I so diligently chased after for so many years? What was the point of investing so much in a future that I can never enjoy? How can anyone justify spending so money much on an education that will never be used? I understand the how; I just don't understand why.

Maybe one of these days Vanderbilt University and the Department of Education will realize it might just be cheaper to hire me that harass me. I need a real paying job now, but with the skyrocketing unemployment rate, it looks as though I will have a lot of competition.

Throughout the three year process of filing medical appeal after the next, I acquired over 1/4 million dollars in debt in unreimbursed medical care and student loans. I was fortunate enough be able t keep my TennCare that time—only because the state mandated a 30 hour work week, because at 32 hours, your benefits kick in.

Even while in the states employ, I witnessed a pattern of behavior that was reckless and harmful to the citizens of Tennessee. In fact, there were so many changes during short time I was there the time I was there that even my colleagues in the office of consumer affairs did not know about them until we were a formal complaint had been filed by a consumer in crisis.

There was so much chaos in the system because consumers and were not given sufficient information and the state was completely unprepared to respond to the large number of people who their benefits terminated, limited, or transferred. It took several months to update the medical database used to verify insurance coverage, and many more to get that information in sync with pharmacies and providers. Recipients were left in the dark, probably because it was easier that way.

Although I doubt many people, I Tennessee would the harsh policies enacted during the Bredesen administration, his endless assault on the state’s poor and infirm is not the kind of man we want in DC. He has demonstrated a wanton disregard for the welfare of his own constituents should not be rewarded with a cabinet position in the new administration.

Now, again, I face losing my healthcare coverage once again. Please do something, and do it quick. I would not wish this experience on my worst enemy,

Unemployment rates in the state of Tennessee are at an all-time high, yet welfare roles have remained stable. This tells us that despite the financial crisis and sad state of the Tennessee economy, people are not able to access emergency aid that we would expect people to receive in times of economic hardship.

What will happen when the state begins the 150,000 members of the Daniels Class? DHS has not been able to process the applications already on file. As the unemployment rate continues to go up, we need to be sure that applications for emergency assistance are processed within a reasonable period.

I have no idea how they intend t handle the growing number of unemployed, uninsured, people in need of emergency assistance given that they are already overwhelmed by the number of applications already on file. Is it a really a good time to start the recertification of the 150,000 members of the Daniels Class.?

Let us hope not, or we are all in trouble.



Sincerely yours,


Elyssa Durant

Nashville, TN

A Brief History of Tennessee Healthcare

(For Historical Reference)



1996: Throughout the three year process of filing appeal after appeal after appeal, I acquired well over 1/4 million dollars in debt due to uninsured medical expenses and student loans. My life will never be the same. My heart will never be the same.

1999: Patient X: Corporate TennCare adjusted the prescription formulary over Memorial Day in 1999 and failed refused to offer a 3-day or 14-Day emergency supply as mandated by Grier.

2001: I have no other benefits. No Social Security checks to count on; no disability payments to pull together; no Medicare to meet me when the bottom falls out, again. This surely is not the first time my Medicaid has not come through as a reliable source of payment. It is not even the second or third time. It more like the eight or ninth, maybe more often than that. I only recently qualified for Medicaid some eight months ago! Since then, I have already acquired several thousand dollars in unpaid medical expenses that have made their way to collection agencies.

2002: Before my benefits were stabilized, learning to navigate the system consumed every waking moment of my life. I was unable to work or attend school on any substantial level and I am frightened to see at might happen if I were to stray from my established, stabilized, treatment plan. If I lose my benefits, will I still be able to work? To function? To be productive?

2005: The massive number of people being dis-enrolled or limited in their access to medical care and other social services will no doubt create significant anxiety, confusion, and chaos for everyone involved in the social service and health care industries.

2006: Without my current level of benefits, I simply do not function.

2007: I remember how difficult it was for me to obtain benefits when I first applied several years ago. I am deeply concerned about how the most recent decision to eradicate yet another class of TennCare / Medicaid recipients (the Daniels class that is made up of SSI recipients by way of a pending federal waiver) will affect the poor and disabled residents in Tennessee.

MAY 2008: And even though my life has become a living hell, I have almost learned to enjoy the sheer irony of it all... for someone with OCD and post-traumatic stress, this is truly a ridiculous little experiment.

JULY 2008: I am becoming increasingly inspired to just burn every last document I own, throw away my keys and my cell phone and take Spotty some place where we can live off the land, but I have come this far, and I am becoming rather skilled at expressing myself without an audience or the obsessive need to check every fact, throw, and typo for capitalization and perfection.

AUGUST 2008: So after all this-- now I face losing my health care once again? Where is the safety net? Where is the American Dream that I so diligently chased after for so many years? What was the point spending so much on an education that will never be utilized? I understand the how; I just don't understand why.

LAST MONTH: So for now... I write. Maybe later, I'll read. But if there is any justice left in this world, maybe someday, I'll actually live.

TODAY: Good-bye for now. I need a break.

Pharmacy Fallout '08 [Draft]

The Powers That Beat


Here's the latest snafu in the State of Tennessee: TennCare Changes Benefits Without Notice Effective October 1, 2008.
.
TennCare providers, beneficiaries and advocates are once again unaware of how the new changes will affect their benefits or services concerning changes to the pharmacy plan that were implemented on October 1, 2008. No information about the changes (e.g., formulary changes, benefits coverage, or appeals, grievances or override procedures were given to providers, participants or local sent

TennCare providers, beneficiaries and advocates are once again unaware of the new changes in the pharmacy program that went into effect on October 1, 2008. New procedures were implemented by providers that have obvious HIPPA violations. Federal agencies and advocates should direct consumers to the appropriate federal agencies regarding HIPPA compliance and other possible violations of federal law.

I did find out some additional information, which is this: THERE IS NO INFORMATION!!!

Providers and consumers are unaware of new changes to the Pharmacy program for TennCare beneficiaries.

I have searched the news, the state, and cannot get through to the TennCare hotline... The last I heard, pharmacies began processing scripts late yesterday afternoon, however they are running into significant problems obtaining approval (specifically--overrides) for their TennCare participants.

I gotta tell you that I found some VERY disturbing information that was callously given to each and every TennCare recipient who had prescriptions filled at the pharmacy I went to.

I will tell you that it is a large national chain implemented new procedures for Medicaid recipients covered under the new plan. They claim it was required to obtain reimbursement from the new Rx provider. I necessary to to deal with the new pharmacy program that went into effect Oct 1, 2008..

I will scan that document and upload it to advocates since it is so over the top regarding medical privacy and HIPPA compliance.

I personally refused to sign the document, instead signing "HIPPA" instead of my name. Prescriptions will not be dispensed without the beneficiaries signature on the master list.

Take now for now,

Elyssa Durant



FOR HISTORICAL REFERENCE:


2008: I remember how difficult it was for me to obtain benefits when I first applied several years ago. I am deeply concerned about how the most recent decision to eradicate yet another class of TennCare / Medicaid recipients (the Daniels class that is made up of SSI recipients by way of a pending federal waiver) will affect the poor and disabled residents in Tennessee.

2006: Without my current level of benefits, I simply do not function.

2002: Before my benefits were stabilized, learning to navigate the system consumed every waking moment of my life. I was unable to work or attend school on any substantial level and I am frightened to see at might happen if I were to stray from my established, stabilized, treatment plan. If I lose my benefits, will I still be able to work? To function? To be productive?

2005: The massive number of people being dis-enrolled or limited in their access to medical care and other social services will no doubt create significant anxiety, confusion, and chaos for everyone involved in the social service and health care industries.

2001: I have no other benefits. No Social Security checks to count on; no disability payments to pull together; no Medicare to meet me when the bottom falls out, again. This surely is not the first time my Medicaid has not come through as a reliable source of payment. It is not even the second or third time. It more like the eight or ninth, maybe more often than that. I only recently qualified for Medicaid some eight months ago! Since then, I have already acquired several thousand dollars in unpaid medical expenses that have made their way to collection agencies.

1999: Patient X: Corporate TennCare adjusted the prescription formulary over Memorial Day in 1999 and failed refused to offer a 3-day or 14-Day emergency supply as mandated by Grier.

1996: Throughout the three year process of filing appeal after appeal after appeal, I acquired well over 1/4 million dollars in debt due to uninsured medical expenses and student loans. My life will never be the same. My heart will never be the same.

TODAY: So after all this-- now I face losing my healthcare once again? Where is the safety net? Where is the American Dream that I so diligently chased after for so many years? What was the point spending so much on an education that will never be utilized? I understand the how; I just don't understand why.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://unitedprofessionals.org/blog/forum/topic.php?id=105

*****************************************

Pharmacy Fallout '08: Here We Go Again
Providers and Consumers Are Unaware of New Changes to the Pharmacy Program for TennCare Beneficiaries, Effective October 1, 2008


Here's the latest in the State of Tennessee: TennCare Changes Benefits Without Notice Effective October 1, 2008.
.
TennCare providers, beneficiaries and advocates are once again unaware of how the new changes will affect their benefits or services concerning changes to the pharmacy plan that were implemented on October 1, 2008. No information about the changes (e.g., formulary changes, benefits coverage, or appeals, grievances or override procedures were given to providers, participants or local sent

TennCare providers, beneficiaries and advocates are once again unaware of the new changes in the pharmacy program that went into effect on October 1, 2008. New procedures were implemented by providers that have obvious HIPPA violations. Federal agencies and advocates should direct consumers to the appropriate federal agencies regarding HIPPA compliance and other possible violations of federal law.

I did find out some additional information, which is this:

THERE IS NO INFORMATION!!!

Providers and consumers are unaware of new changes to the Pharmacy program for TennCare beneficiaries.

I have searched the news, the state, and cannot get through to the TennCare hotline... The last I heard, pharmacies began processing scripts late yesterday afternoon, however they are running into significant problems obtaining approval (specifically--overrides) for their TennCare participants.

I gotta tell you that I found some VERY disturbing information that was callously given to each and every TennCare recipient who had prescriptions filled at the pharmacy I went to.

One large national drug store chain implemented new procedures for specific to Medicaid recipients covered under the new plan. The pharmacy manager claims this was required by the underwriters in order to obtain reimbursement for covered medications and/or pharmacy services. These changes went into effect the day before the new plan was set to launch.

I will scan that document and upload it to advocates since it is so over the top regarding medical privacy and HIPPA compliance.

I personally refused to sign the document, instead signing "HIPPA" instead of my name. Prescriptions will not be dispensed without the beneficiaries signature on the master list.

Elyssa Durant
TennCare Beneficiary


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Resources
www.familiesusa.org
www.thcc2.org
www.unitedprofessionals.com

Work to Welfare: The Hardest Job I Never Had

Yup! That’s right, I’m on welfare… I’m milking the system for all its worth! I had better go get in line before those Louisiana people and immigrants suck up all our resources (which have never once been available when I have needed them) That’s right, just another Ivy League grad too smart to go to work! I am just waiting on my next free meal ticket, subsidy, or voucher. The opportunities to exploit the government are endless! Where do I begin???

I remember how difficult it was for me to obtain benefits when I first applied several years ago. I am deeply concerned about how the most recent decision to eradicate yet another class of TennCare recipients will affect the poor and disabled residents in Tennessee. Without my current level of benefits, I simply do not function.

Before my benefits were stabilized, learning to navigate the system consumed every waking moment of my life. I was unable to work or attend school on any substantial level and I am deathly afraid of straying from my established, stabilized, treatment plan-- again.

If I lose my benefits, will I still be able to work? To function? To be productive?

Any new public program requires careful planning if it is to be effective. Recent discussions have not focused on the true impact these changes will have on the "street-level."

Has anyone asked recipients how they feel the new program (Safety-Net) should be designed, implemented, or evaluated? How will this impact the community and other social service or welfare agencies??? I want access, quality, and outcomes. I want… I want… I want!!!

The massive number of people being disenrolled or limited in their access to medical care and other social services will no doubt create significant anxiety, confusion, and chaos for everyone involved in the social service and health care industries.

I remember when Mr. Brian Lapps was somewhere very high up on the corporate TennCare ladder in 1999 when they adjusted the prescription formulary over Memorial Day in 1999. I see Mr. Lapps quite frequently since he now works at the local gas station down the street from where I live.

To this day, he insists that cell phones and TennCare are somehow contraindicated. Perhaps he knows nothing of the population he claims to know just all-too-well…. housing conditions that may or may not have electricity, broken families—some riddled with community violence and domestic disturbances. In the hood, your cell phone is your very best friend. 9-1-1.

These people plagued by domestic violence and community instability makes a cell phone the only logical option. How can you find a job with out a phone? How can you find a home with out a job? Yet even 6 years later, Mr. Lapps uses cellular phones as an example how the TennCare program is being abused by lazy, cheap, and unscrupulous second hand citizens who are just shiftless lazy bums waiting around for their next free hand-out.

Anyone who has EVER applied for or relied upon any kind of government subsidy to have their basic needs met, e.g., food, shelter, medical care, dental treatment, etc… let me personally assure you that there has never been a single time where I felt I was “pulling one over” on the government. I am not just one of the poor saps who believed what they told me they in school: I bought it hook, line, and sinker for the mere price of $279,982.00 and not a shred of financial security to show for it.

Even after consolidating my student loans, the interest alone is $10 less than my monthly income from social security.

So what happens now that the state of Tennessee will begin to cut off social security recipients from TennCare? I honestly do not think I can survive yet another re-certification process-- God knows the first one almost killed me. After three years of appeals, my condition had deteriorated so severely that I was forced to drop out of school, lost my home, lost my sanity, and lost hope. In short-- I lost my dignity and my belief in the social welfare system.

By the time my benefits were approved, I had already checked myself in to NYU Psych Ward because simply could not cope with the reality of what my life I had become. I weighed 94 pounds and suffered in excruciating pain that has only gotten worse with time. My extremities were ice cold, and my hands were numb since I went without medical treatment for the spinal injury that was first discovered when I was 22.

I am now 35 years old. My spinal cord is now damaged from years of delayed, sub-standard medical treatment. I owe the federal government $279,982.00 in student loans and when I am able to work, I make $10.46/hour as a substitute teacher in an urban school district. That job comes with no security and no benefits. It does however offer the flexibility I need to receive the bi-monthly epidural injections and other procedures necessary to manage my pain and alleviate the numbness I feel because of the damage to my nerves. And even though I cannot afford the gas money to get my appointments, pay for all of my medication, or even to get back and forth to work, it does allow me a few weeks of mobility so I can drive, use my mouse or hold a pen.

I have an advanced master’s degree from an Ivy League Institution. I am 12 credits shy of a Ph.D. in public policy. And despite maintaining a 3.2 grade point average, the graduate school I attended for my PhD will not grant me any leniency by extending the amount or time permitted to complete my degree-- or allow me to transfer those credits towards another program at the same institution since it has been just over ten years since I first enrolled. Vanderbilt will not even allow me to use any of the credits I paid for (in spades) towards another degree at the same university since they no longer have the program I was initially enrolled in. I think it goes without saying that I do not have the financial resources available to finish my last semester, take the GREs over again, or pay the associated application fees necessary to make the time spent there worth while.

Throughout the three year process of filing appeal after appeal after appeal, I acquired well over 1/4 million dollars in debt due to uninsured medical expenses and student loans. My life will never be the same. My heart will never be the same.

So after all this-- now I face losing my healthcare once again? Where is the safety net? Where is the American Dream that I so diligently chased after for so many years? What was the point spending so much on an education that will never be utilized? I understand the how; I just don't understand why.

Maybe one of these days Vanderbilt University and the Department of Education will realize it might just be cheaper to hire me that harass me, because unless I find a real paying job soon, their collections department will no longer be able to reach me on that extravagant lifeline my friend, Brian Lapps, refers to as a luxury.

If anyone out there would like to “trade places” with me for one month—I will gladly assume his/her responsibilities for that position if you can find a writer who is willing to endure and write about the reality of social services in our fine State. I do not want a paycheck from your organization; I just want the opportunity to put the myth of freeloading welfare mothers to rest. Live in my shoes for 30 days. Can you find the out? Can you balance my budget and make it work? Can you get the bill collectors of my back? Can you afford internet service to file state job applications and apply for services online? Can you maintain pride and dignity without feeling the least bit sorry for yourself and the choices you have made?

When I go to the pharmacy, I am humiliated that I do not have the $3.00 necessary for the co-pay on my covered TennCare prescriptions. At least when it was $40 dollars, I was not so damn embarrassed by my lack of funds.

Remind me again why I went to school. Remind me once more why I bother to speak out. Then remind me right now that that there is somebody listening. I cannot be the only one who actually gives a crap. My contact information is listed below.

Elyssa Durant, Ed.M.
Nashville, Tennessee
E-mail: elyssa.durant@columbia.edu
(FORMER doctoral student in public policy)



--
Elyssa Durant, Ed.M.
Nashville, Tennessee
E-mail: elyssa.durant@columbia.edu
http://labs.daylife.com/journalist/elyssa_durant
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/145691/elyssa_durant.html