Frederica Freyberg:

The Governor’s proposed budget would make big changes in long-term care programs in Wisconsin. Some 11,000 disabled and elderly people currently get help to hire and pay for personal long-term care in their homes. They would see that program, called IRIS, eliminated. And the regionally-managed Family Care Program would expand statewide, with managed care insurance companies at the helm. It’s estimated the changes would result in about $14 million in state and federal savings over the biennium. But citing in part state budget uncertainty, one home care provider in Wisconsin has already announced it will close and lay off its 700 employees. With that backdrop, the Wisconsin Personal Services Association is sounding the alarm on the changes. Jean Rumachik joins us now. And thanks very much for doing so, Jean.

Jean Rumachik:

I’m glad to be here.

Frederica Freyberg:

What are your organization’s specific concerns about the statewide expansion of Family Care and the elimination of the self-directed care program IRIS?

Jean Rumachik:

Our organization, the Wisconsin Personal Care Association, provides personal care and supportive home care to thousands of people with disabilities and the elderly throughout the state. What we’ve seen with the Governor’s budget is a dismantling of the current system, and any time there is a disruption in the type of services people may be getting or the funding sources that they may be getting services from, it creates stress for both the providers and the consumers involved.

Frederica Freyberg:

I want to just go ahead and read to you a statement that we’ve just received from the state Department of Health Services. It says, quote, “Governor Walker is committed to preserving essential safety net programs, including Family Care. His budget includes proposals that would slow expenditure growth and maintain essential health care services. We believe that the current model is fragmented and would like to refocus the program on improved total health outcomes, not just the long-term care services. We want to assure individuals who are in the existing IRIS Program that they will still be able to self-direct their care under these reforms and that they will still have access to the same covered services that they have today.” What is your reaction to that? Because it sounds like what he’s calling reforms are a good idea.

Jean Rumachik:

Many of us entered the family care system and IRIS Program from five to eight years ago and that was a huge transition for us all, but we made it through and we developed good relationships with the managed care organizations. And things are working well in that venue. And I think that with IRIS, that’s another managed care system that has provided a tremendous amount of people with disabilities better services and better quality of care and enhanced their quality of life. So I think that the system already works well. I think that everything can work better. And that’s what we should be doing, is trying to make the current system better, which is very possible. I just do want to add that for personal care services — and they are like — they are the lifeblood of long-term care services. The direct care workers who provide people with disabilities and the elderly assistance with activities of daily living every day really are the backbone of what keeps people functioning in their homes and living independently. So — and that system, it works well. We save money. We prevent costly institutionalizations and readmissions and admissions to hospitals. We prevent people from becoming ill. So those are the things that we are committed to doing and that our work force does. And I think — I just wanted to mention that along with the whole Family Care situation and IRIS, turning those systems upside down and — when we entered Family Care, the state assured us that services would remain the same and that people would get the same services that they did, that providers would get rate increases more often. And actually that didn’t happen like they said. So we’re used to hearing that everything will be fine with changes, but oftentimes, it is not.

Frederica Freyberg:

All right. Jean, I’m afraid that we need to leave it there, but thank you very much for your explanation on this.

Jean Rumachik:

You’re welcome. Thank you.