Paratransit Parables #3

Back in the city where I grew up, they are busy narrowing the scope of "disability" [read "impairment"] to save money on paratransit.

Applicants with "less visible" disabilities will be tested for both cognitive and physical disabilities with an eye towards what a health insurance company usually calls 'cost avoidance' and means more isolation, dependence and 'dissapearance' of people with impairment.

So when you hear of Medicaid and Medicare cuts, understand that ancillary services will pick up on this style of cutting and employ it as well.

Food stamps.

Private companies that train PCA's and companions similarly to the government programs.

Paratransit

Phone bill and Heat bill assistance programs will also tighten their income eligibility requirements.

And even though customers in the town where I grew up only pay 1.50 per trip unlike the 3.00 per trip fare here in Denver, the Cleveland Ohio RTA transit figures that paying 55 to 75 an applicant to screen them out is money well spent.

That means, in the long term, an increase in physical and mental health costs shoved off onto the county hospital, Metro, that provides indigent care, and other doctor and hospital costs will go up too, for those still lucky enough to be on Medicaid or Medicare, because they've been told they *aren't* disabled enough to get to the doctor they need to see...then perhaps when these other problems that crop up because they couldn't travel to the physician to deal with them, *then* they'll get retested, get approved and get back on....

Those who do manage to use it to get to a job, may lose that job and then...

Sigh.

I don't approve of the abuse of any system. But if "less than half" are going to be tested...and half of those are declined...it will throw out enough people that need the service that will be at the end of their resources to simply leave the house...