The Messenger
A Newsletter From The Arc Dane County
Supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities for over 65 years
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If opportunity doesn't knock, build a door.
~Milton Berle
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What's Happening at The Arc Dane County
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Save the Date - The Arc Awards Banquet
The Arc Awards Banquet is at The Madison Concourse on Thursday, April 20, 2017. Eleven individuals will be recognized for their outstanding efforts benefiting people with developmental disabilities and forwarding The Arc-Dane County's mission.
Click here for information and a full list of award winners.
Richardo Miguel Vasquez, The Marimba
 Man,
will once again provide the entertainment.
Leah Linscheid
, WISC, will be the Awards Banquet hostess.
Silent Auction items are appreciated to help cover the cost of our honorees and their guests. Please contact Cheryl Lytle at
[email protected] if you'd like to contribute. Donations provided by April 4th will also be published in the award program.
More details and ticket information will be in the mail and on the next newsletter.
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State Budget Trainings
Want to learn about what's in the Wisconsin State Budget? Concerned about whether supports people with disabilities need will continue to be funded? Attend a State Budget Training in your area.
The Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities, The Arc Wisconsin and Disability Rights Wisconsin are partnering to bring budget trainings about disability issues to as many communities as possible during the months of February and March.
The Dane County session is brought to you by The Arc Dane Counting and Living our Visions:
March 22,
6 - 8 PM
Orchard Ridge Church of Christ
1501 Gilbert Rd., Madison
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PACE: Parent & Caregiver Education
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Thursday, March 16; 6:00pm - 7:00pm
Speaker: Ron Konkol
"Social Security Benefits & Resources"
Thursday, April 27
Speaker: Bruce Barge
"Financial Planning for Families with
Individuals 18 & Older"
Location: Crowne Plaza Hotel, 4402 E. Washington Ave, Madison WI 53703
Cost (includes dinner & presentation): $7.00 per person, $10.00 for professionals
Pre-registration is required:
please phone 608-442-5555 or 800-693-2287
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The Arc 2017 Spring Ball
Get your dancing shoes ready for this year's Spring Ball. We will be dancing the afternoon away at the Madison Concourse Hotel and Governor's Club on Sunday April 30th from 2pm - 5pm. We hope you can join us for a fun afternoon of dancing, friends and celebrating the spring season.
Tickets are available on a first come first serve basis. Don't wait to get yours, they sell out fast! Ticket Request Forms are due on or before April 10th.
Forms are available by clicking here.
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National Arc Advocacy: ACTION ALERT
Call Now to Stop Medicaid Cuts and Health Care Repeal - Congress Is Moving Fast
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Congress is on the fast track to repeal major portions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and to partially pay for it by capping the federal payment and making drastic cuts to the Medicaid program. The level of cuts over time would decimate the Medicaid program.
When will this happen? The House of Representatives hopes to quickly move the repeal bill through Committee and vote by the end of March. The Senate has indicated that it would like to vote on the House bill before the mid-April recess.
People's health, services and lives are at stake! We urgently need advocates to reach out to their Senators and Representatives and tell them to stop the repeal of the ACA and the cuts to Medicaid. Advocates need to explain why the ACA and Medicaid are essential to people with disabilities and their families.
Message 1: Do NOT cut and cap Medicaid!
Medicaid is a jointly funded program with matching state and federal funds. Under a Medicaid per capita cap, the federal government would set a limit on how much to reimburse states based on enrollment in the Medicaid program. Unlike current law, funding would not be based on the actual cost of providing services. Much like the proposed block grants, the intent of the per capita caps is to restructure the program and save the federal government money. Inevitably there will be cuts in funding in the states. The negative impacts to Medicaid recipients could include:
- Losing home and community-based services and supports. Waiting lists would quickly grow.
- Losing other critical services such as personal care, mental health, prescription drugs, and rehabilitative services. If funds become scarcer, states may decide to stop providing these services altogether.
- Being forced into unnecessary institutionalization. States could return to the days of "warehousing" people with disabilities in institutions.
- Shifting the costs to individuals or family members to make up for the federal cuts. The costs of providing health care and long term services and supports will not go away, but will be shifted to individuals, parents, states, and providers.
Message 2: Do not repeal the Affordable Care Act's protections for people with disabilities!
The ACA is the most significant law for people with disabilities since the Americans with Disabilities Act:
- Because of the ACA, health insurers can't deny health insurance or charge higher premiums if you have a disability or chronic condition.
- Because of the ACA, there aren't arbitrary financial limits to how much health care you can get in a year or in your lifetime.
- Because of the ACA, more people with disabilities and chronic health conditions were able to access health care due to the Medicaid expansion.
For additional information, see
The Arc's fact sheet about the ACA.
Call your Senators and Representatives today. Every call matters! Don't let them take away health care and services for millions of people and pay for it with CUTS to the Medicaid program.
What to Say:
- I am a member of The Arc.
- I am a person with I/DD, or I am a family member of someone with I/DD, or I am a professional in the disability field.
- Do NOT support repeal of the ACA.
- Do NOT allow cuts to Medicaid to pay for the repeal of the ACA.
The ACA and Medicaid helps me/my family member to have health care and community based services.
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ACA in Wisconsin
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Democrats across the country are starting to push back on repeal of ACA and the potential impact on individuals with disabilities.
In Wisconsin, several state Democrat lawmakers have drafted a joint resolution to urge an end to the efforts to cut taxes for millionaires and increase healthcare costs for patients, decrease access to affordable care and discriminate against trusted health care providers. Reps. Eric Genrich, Debra Kolste and Daniel Riemer are looking for a co-sponsor to support their efforts in fighting the repeal of ACA.
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Changes being debated in Washington, D.C. would cap federal funding for Wisconsin's Medicaid programs (Family Care, IRIS, Katie Beckett, Children's Long Term Supports, COP/CIP, BadgerCare and many more). There are still many unanswered questions about what these caps would mean for the more than 1 million Wisconsinites that use Medicaid programs to live independent lives in the community. Contact your U.S. Senators and Congressional Representative and ask them what Medicaid caps would mean for Wisconsin.
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The Arc Dane County | (608) 833-1199
6602 Grand Teton Plaza | Madison, WI 53719
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Copyright © 2017. All Rights Reserved.
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