Category: Advocacy

Fight the Dismantling of the Affordable Care Act (ACA)

The week of March 4th, New Yorkers for Accessible Health Coverage, a project of CIDNY, submitted comments to the US Department of Labor expressing strong concerns with a proposed rule expanding Association Health Plans.

We believe that the proposed changes would negatively impact access to quality, affordable care for consumers, disrupt the individual and small business marketplace, and further strain the limited resources of state regulators. The loosely affiliated small businesses joined together as AHPs would be exempt from many of the consumer protections created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). These include insurance standards such as Essential Health Benefits, premium rating rules, and risk pooling. As was seen in the past with AHPs, fraud, abuse, and plan solvency present potential concerns, especially as oversight and regulatory authority remains in question.

We are particularly concerned that Association Health Plans will use various practices to discriminate on the basis of health status. This will segment the market, making the ACA-compliant market, that the people we serve now enjoy, into a high-risk pool that will become unaffordable to them.

Learn more about the impact of Association Health Plans here.

Tell Lawmakers to Invest in Access to Home

Our Homes, Not Nursing Homes

Free Our People!

Inaccessible housing is one of the biggest barriers for people who want to live in the community.

Unfortunately, the home modification program, Access To Home, is severely underfunded at only $1 million. This has left many parts of the state unserved, and has resulted in years long waiting lists. The Senate and Assembly need to hear from the disability community that they must address the need for home modifications!
As the State invests in programs such as Open Doors and the Olmstead Housing subsidy, which help people leave institutions or prevent unwanted and unnecessary institutionalization, it needs to provide funding for home modifications.
CIDNY is urging the legislature to include $10 million in funding for Access To Home. It helps homeowners and renters get the home modifications they need to live in the community. The Senate and Assembly are finalizing their one house budget responses, which are due out next week. We need everyone to make 4 calls today to help ensure we get this necessary funding included!
ACTION: Make the following 4 phone calls today to help ensure we have funding for Access To Home!

  • Call Senate Housing Chair, Senator Betty Little at 518-455-2811
  • Call Senate Majority Leader, Senator John J. Flanagan at 518-455-2071
  • Call Assembly Housing Chair, Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz at 518-455-5214
  • Call Assembly Speaker, Assemblyman Carl Heastie at 518-455-3791

Say: “I am disabled / a family member of someone with a disability and I need help making my home more accessible. There is no available funding to get this help, and without it, I can’t leave my house/leave a nursing facility. Please help me stay in my home by including $10 million for Access To Home in your one house budget response so it is available in my area and to people across New York State.”

H/T New York Association on Independent Living

Call Today For Increased Funding for Independent Living Centers!

Independent Living Centers like CIDNY provide people with disabilities and their families the supports and services that help them live independently and integrated in their communities. ILCs rely on the State for funding to provide these vital services, but New York State has failed to adequately fund centers for well over a decade, leaving us struggling to continue providing services. 

The State Education Department and Board of Regents recommended a $5 million increase for ILCs for the second year in a row. Unfortunately, Governor Cuomo’s proposed Executive Budget failed to give centers this additional funding they need to meet the needs of their communities. But it isn’t too late to get an increase in this year’s budget!

The next step is the legislature. The Senate and Assembly will release their one house budget responses in mid-March. There were budget sign-on letters in support of an increase in funding for Independent Living Centers in both houses with strong support.  Now we need to put pressure on the Senate and Assembly’s leadership and Education Committee Chairs to include this $5 million increase for Independent Living Centers!
 
ACTION: Make the following four phone calls today to help ensure Independent Living Centers receive a vital funding increase in this year’s budget!

  1. Call the Assembly’s Education Chair, Catherine Nolan at 518-455-4851
  2. Call Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie at 518-455-3791
  3. Call the Senate’s Education Chair, Carl L. Marcellino at 518-455-2390
  4. Call Senate Majority Leader John J. Flanagan at 518-455-2071

Say: “Help Independent Living Centers and the people with disabilities they serve by providing ILCs with a crucial funding increase of $5 million in the one house budget.”
 
Below are some additional talking points. Feel free to customize based on your personal experience.

Talking Points:

  • Independent Living Centers have gone well over a decade with level funding, which is why this modest increase of only $5 million is so crucial.
  • Independent Living Centers save the State money! Every $1 invested in ILCs saves the State $9 thanks to their work helping people leave nursing facilities and other institutions.
  • This additional funding will help centers to cover the increased costs of providing services and prevent them from program cutbacks and staff layoffs.
  • This additional funding will ensure they can meet the needs of their local communities across the State.

Learn more about the federal impact on ILC funding here.

CIDNY’s Poll Site Accessibility Summary for the 2017 General Election

On Election Day, CIDNY staff and volunteers conducted comprehensive polling site surveys for accessibility.

The survey findings showed many of the same problems identified in previous years. This demonstrates that the New York City Board of Elections has not sufficiently addressed the barriers faced by voters with disabilities.

With surveys completed at 59 polling sites, we found that 35, or 59%, of the sites had at least one physical access barrier. Those barriers included narrow doorways, inadequate signage, pathways with broken concrete, non-ADA compliant ramps, and poorly placed machines.

CIDNY’s volunteers and staff completed survey training and surveyed polling sites in the 5 boroughs on Election Day. Volunteer Christine Serdjenian Yearwood says: “CIDNY provided an excellent training that prepared me to serve as a poll site accessibility monitor for the general election this year. It was a great experience, and I was happy to be able to serve in this way. I will most certainly do it again next year.”

If you have a story about access to your polling site, you can still fill out our individual voter survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9RV6JX3 or contact Monica Bartley at 646/442-4152 or mbartley@cidny.org.

 

 

 

Image description: IS 70 333 West 18th St., Manhattan. Approximately 1 ¼” high bevel with cracked cement creating tripping hazards and barriers for people who are blind or those using wheelchairs, scooters, or walkers.

Image description: PS 130, Brooklyn. Bad bevel. This beveled area is inadequate for people using wheelchairs, scooters, or walkers to access the sidewalk.

Image description: 777 Concourse Village, Bronx. Broken concrete along the pathway.

Image description: New Heights, Brooklyn. Traffic cone propping door blocking access to the entrance (a poll worker eventually came out to hold the door open).