United Cerebral Palsy Releases State Medicaid Rankings

Report Gauges How States Provide Community-Based Services to Americans with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities under Medicaid

United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) reports that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities being served by Medicaid are not getting the community-based supports they need in every State. The report, The Case for Inclusion 2007, ranks all 50 States and the District of Columbia.  At the top of the list are: (1) Arizona, (2) Alaska, (3) Vermont, (4) Massachusetts, and (5) California.   At the bottom are (51) Mississippi, (50) Texas, (49) District of Columbia, (48) Ohio, and (47) Illinois. 

“Every American wants the opportunity to live and work in their community,” said Stephen Bennett, President and CEO of United Cerebral Palsy. “The top-performing states in our rankings do a better job promoting independence and productivity in safe, quality community settings, but we still have far too many people with disabilities not getting the service and supports they desperately want and need.  We can and should do better.”

Some of the report’s key findings include:
·         Forty one states have 176 large state institutions (more than 16 beds) housing 39,000 Americans;
·         Only 16 states direct more than 80% of funding to people living in the community;
·         Sixteen states report very large and long waiting lists for services; and
·         Only one in four people with disabilities participates in competitive employment.

“This report provides families and advocates a tool to compare how their State is performing in relation to the rest of the country,” said Tarren Bragdon, an expert in healthcare policy and author of The Case for Inclusion 2007 for UCP. “Despite much improvement over the last couple of decades, the report makes it clear that inclusion is not the reality for all Americans with intellectual and developmental disabilities.”

Nationwide, Medicaid serves almost 545,000 individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, spending $28.8 billion in fiscal year 2005 or almost $53,000 per person per year. While individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities make up just over one percent of all Medicaid recipients, services to the population account for 9.4 percent of all Medicaid expenditures. In addition, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are among Medicaid’s most vulnerable beneficiaries.  More than 99 unique data elements and guidance from a wide body of national disability experts were considered to create comprehensive state snapshots.

The full United Cerebral Palsy report and state-by-state data are available online at ucp.org/medicaid.  This is the second year UCP has ranked states on their Medicaid-funded services to Americans with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

About United Cerebral Palsy

United Cerebral Palsy is one of the nation’s leading organizations serving and advocating for the more than 54 million Americans with disabilities. Through its nationwide network, United Cerebral Palsy offers services to individuals, families and communities such as job training and placement, physical therapy, individual and family support, early intervention, social and recreation programs, community living, and instruction on how to use technology to perform everyday tasks. For more information, visit ucp.org or call (800) 872-5827.