ADAPT Praises Centene for Endorsing the Disability Integration Act

08/06/18 PRESS ADVISORY FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For More Information:
Gregg Beratan: (610) 247-4188
Marilee Adamski-Smith: (715) 204-4152

WHO: National ADAPT
WHAT: ADAPT Praises Centene for Endorsing the Disability Integration Act
WHEN: Monday, August 6, 2018

ADAPT Praises Centene’s Support for Community Integration!

Today, ADAPT applauds Centene’s decision to become the nation’s first major healthcare company to endorse the Disability Integration Act (S910/HR2472). The Disability Integration Act (DIA) is a bill that, when passed, would assure the rights of Americans with Disabilities to live in freedom by requiring insurance companies to pay for long term services and supports in the community instead of forcing disabled and elderly people into nursing facilities or other institutions to get the help that they need to live.

Centene provides services to over 12 million members in government-sponsored healthcare programs, and provides long term services and supports (LTSS) to nearly 270,000 people across the country. Centene is one of the largest Managed Long Term Services and Supports health plans in the United States. “Centene supports ending our nation’s outdated reliance on costly institutional care” said Jon Dinesman, Senior Vice President of Government Relations for the Centene Corportation, in a letter sent to ADAPT on July 22, 2018. ADAPT is pleased that Centene was able to act so quickly and decisively on the recommendations of the Centene National Disability Advisory Council under the leadership of Disability Rights Activist Colleen Starkloff. This enabled the company to announce its support for DIA at the National Council for Independent Living’s annual conference, in front of advocates from across the country.

ADAPT, the national disability rights organization which has worked with Minority Leader Schumer and Congressman Sensenbrenner to craft this bi-partisan legislation, expressed hope that having one of the nation’s largest LTSS health plans support ending the unnecessary institutionalization of disabled Americans will spur other LTSS providers to follow suit. “For the same reason this makes sense for Centene, it makes sense for all the other companies offering these services,” said Mike Oxford an ADAPT organizer from Kansas. “Centene clearly understands that no one benefits from forcing people into institutions. The rest of the industry will too.”

ADAPT has been fighting for the rights of disabled people to live in the community for over 30 years. Members of ADAPT are disabled people, attendants, and allies who have seen first-hand how our current healthcare system warehouses disabled and elderly people into institutions who would rather live in the community – in freedom – like every other American.

“We see Centene’s leadership in supporting DIA as a signal to the nation and the rest of the insurance industry that supporting disabled people’s right to life and liberty in the community is both the right thing to do and sound business,” said Anita Cameron, an ADAPT organizer based in New York. “We are grateful for Centene’s vision of a future in which disabled people don’t have to fight to stay in our homes, a future where we won’t be forced into nursing facilities just to receive the supports we need to live.”

ADAPT’s history, the issues we are fighting for, and our activities can be found at www.adapt.org, the National ADAPT Facebook page, and on Twitter under the hashtag #ADAPTandRESIST.

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