A proposal to remove Medicaid income and asset limits for Iowans with disabilities who work was passed out of House and Senate subcommittees Tuesday with bipartisan support.
People with disabilities and other supporters of the bill packed the subcommittee hearings Tuesday, asking lawmakers to pass the “Work without Worry” program into law.
They said Medicaid income limits have kept people with disabilities from advancing in their careers because if they get a raise, they risk losing coverage for essential services that aren’t covered by private insurance, like personal care attendants to get them in and out of bed.
The bill would also exclude the income of other household members from being considered for Medicaid eligibility so that people with disabilities would no longer have to fear losing health care services if they get married.
Alex Watters serves on the Sioux City City Council and works at Morningside University. He is also a quadriplegic. He said despite having good benefits through his employers, they don’t cover the cost of attendants who help him get out of bed in the morning.
Watters said he had to turn down raises and not seek promotions in order to avoid losing Medicaid coverage.
"Now, all I’m asking is that we eliminate these barriers, allow people with disabilities to not only enter the workforce, but to thrive in the workforce."Alex Watters, disability rights advocate
“Now, all I’m asking is that we eliminate these barriers, allow people with disabilities to not only enter the workforce, but to thrive in the workforce,” he said. "And you see a lot of people here in this room that want to work, and are excited about the opportunity.”
Under current law, employed people with disabilities cannot have more than $12,000 available or make more than 250% of the federal poverty level ($37,650 for a single person) to keep their government-funded health insurance.
Brady Werger, chair of the Iowa Developmental Disabilities Council, said he was told that if he accepted certain job offers, he would make too much money and lose Medicaid coverage. He said employment opportunities need to be more accessible to people with disabilities.
“I believe if it was more accessible, you’d be seeing a lot more people being able to find jobs that they enjoy, jobs that best fit them and jobs that they can go into work every day and feel happy to go into work,” Werger said.
Sherri Joshua of Waterloo said the idea of working and losing Medicaid-funded services “causes utter fear.”
“I am educated. I want to be part of the community,” she said. “But I don’t want to sacrifice health and wellness to do that. And this bill will give me the ability to at least strive for something beyond living in poverty, and to be a part of the community and use my education to the best of my ability.”
Rob Roozeboom of Sheldon, founder of RISE Ministries, said he continues to travel for work as his muscular dystrophy progresses. But he needs several people to help him go to bed and get up in the morning and take care of basic needs.
"I think this is one of the most important bills that has ever come across the desk for Iowans with disabilities."Rob Roozeboom, disability rights advocate
“I absolutely love working, but I also have a diagnosis with no current cure, and so to have people allow me to get to work every day, it becomes costly,” Roozeboom said. “I think this is one of the most important bills that has ever come across the desk for Iowans with disabilities. So, I’m grateful for this.”
Zach Mecham of Pleasantville has his own digital media business, and he also relies on a ventilator and wheelchair. He said he just wants to be able to work and run his business.
“I would like to not be limited in how many people my business can serve,” Mecham said. “I would like to be able to get the care that I need, to be out in the community serving people — which is what I’m really passionate about — and not be told that I’m serving people too much.”
Catherine Johnson, executive director of Disability Rights Iowa, said the bill is good but could be great with some changes. She said lawmakers should change the part of the bill that would raise the premium that employed Iowans with disabilities would pay to continue receiving health services through Medicaid.
Johnson said when Congress passed the Americans with Disabilities Act, it was intended to give people with disabilities the right to independence and self-sufficiency.
“Those are meaningless rights unless we have the right to competitive, integrated employment at the level we seek,” she said. “This bill will take away the barriers that we’ve long identified as a community.”
No one spoke against the bill, and it advanced with unanimous support from the House and Senate subcommittees.
Rep. Josh Turek, D-Council Bluffs, has led the push for this bill in the Iowa Legislature.
“This is certainly one of the proudest moments for me as a legislator, just to see this incredible amount of advocacy,” he said.
House Health and Human Services Committee Chair Rep. Carter Nordman, R- Panora, said the bill is an example of bipartisan work that aligns with priorities of Republicans and Democrats.
“Price does come into the conversation here… so we’re going to continue to work through the models that we are getting from [the Department of Health and Human Services],” he said. “But at this time, I think we all feel comfortable moving this bill forward, and we’ll continue to have the conversation.”
The bill is now eligible for consideration by the House and Senate HHS committees.
