In 2010, the Kentucky Division of Behavioral Health in partnership with the KY Office of Vocational Rehabilitation received a four year grant from Dartmouth University-Johnson & Johnson to implement Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Supported Employment. That grant led to the Dartmouth Supported Employment Project here at HDI, with Lori Norton as Project Director.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed by President Obama on March 23, 2010 to provide better, more affordable healthcare to Americans. The law means that many more Americans will have health insurance, and that, for the first time, those with pre-existing conditions cannot be denied insurance or have an annual limit or lifetime cap on their benefit coverage. Additional reforms include legal mandates that 80% of a health insurance company’s premium dollars go toward health care costs and not the company’s administrative expenses. Community living is also supported as opposed to institutional care, as the Act creates new financial incentives for states to redirect more Medicaid funds into paying for home and community based services.
Money Follows the Person grants, including the Home Modifications Project coordinated through the Human Development Institute, should also receive extended funding to assist as people transition from institutions to home and community based living. The ACA created health insurance exchanges or “marketplaces” where individuals can compare benefit plans and costs, and where the application for benefits also universally screens individuals and families for Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance eligibility. Continue reading