On Monday, January 24th at 9:30 am at the Police Standards and Training Council in Concord, the Governor will hold his first public forum to gather public input about Medicaid reform. To get to the Police Standards and Training Council, which is across the street from the Christa McAuliffe Planetarium, you want to take exit 15E off Route 93 and then take the first exit (Fort Eddy Road) and that will bring you to the Police Standards and Training Council.

At this forum, the Governor has made it clear that he wants to hear from stakeholders and Medicaid recipients as well as those who provide care.
This isn't meant to be a session where people complain about GraniteCare, but rather a session where Governor Lynch wants to hear constructive ideas about Medicaid reform.

For advocates of the developmental services system, this might mean talking about what is working, why the current system is effective, and where changes might be made in the overall Medicaid program without impacting
those who receive quality, cost-effective, community-based care now. It will be important for advocates to stress that today's community-based system of services for individuals with developmental disabilities was
developed in response to the horrific conditions at Laconia State School and the system is working with very low administrative costs and nationally recognized as delivering quality services.

GraniteCare suggests that this system should merge with mental health and elderly services and be coordinated through a Single Point of Entry instead of being administered at the local level with area agencies, Boards of Directors, and Family Support Councils.

The effectiveness of those three groups working together is likely to be lost in a large merger of all services. Clearly, the state must come up with a method to reduce the rising number of elderly persons being admitted
to institutional facilities (nursing homes).

Advocates believe the work the state must do to reduce the high cost of nursing home placements can be achieved by developing a system of community-based care for the elderly that is similar to the current system
serving people with developmental disabilities. Administrators and advocates in the current DD system
have offered to assist the state in developing community-based care programs for the elderly and that, as an "idea", for the Governor will be important
to communicate on 1/24.

Instead of dismantling what IS working and creating confusion and chaos with large mergers, it may be wise for the Governor to utilize the expertise and
enthusiasm in the current system to solve the larger problem of rising costs to serve the elderly. It would seem that the work to be done to lower Medicaid costs to serve the elderly is going to be time-consuming,
challenging, and initially costly. Therefore, advocates might want to suggest that the Governor put energy into that instead of trying to rearrange everything at one time. This is the Governor's first public forum on Medicaid reform.