These people are our lifelines, she said of personal care attendants. A person could go and work in a fast food restaurant and be paid more money than they re paying personal care attendants, he said. The Legislature last session did increase funding for direct care staff workers, Ulland said. While estimates are fuzzy, Ulland said including the disabled in the drug program would bring about 2000 disabled Minnesotans into it in the first year of expansion, the number of disabled participants doubling by the second year. While House drug program language does include disabled under age 65, Senate language does not allow for expansion, he said.
Prescription drugs are expensive, even with insurance and government assistance.
She s nickel and dimed to death, she said. The coalition is pushing for Senate language which would increase the medical assistance income standard by 2.2 percent. But this still leaves scant money for those on medical assistance to afford the basics of life, said coalition members.