Medicaid must serve those in need

To the editor:

In June, many disabled Missourians were among dozens gathered in a crowded Capitol hearing room in Jefferson City, Mo., waiting to testify before the Medicaid reform commission. Many in wheelchairs were clustered in the middle of the room, while others stood for long hours as doctors and other special interests were allowed to testify first. In the end, it was survival of the fittest. Some disabled people gave up and went home.

This, along with poorly thought out Medicaid reform, has left the perception in the disabled community that the fox is now in charge of re-engineering the chicken house. Most in the disabled community agree that Medicaid reform is sorely needed and that abuse must be stopped. However, they view recent legislation as the equivalent of arbitrarily shooting 50 people from a village because one of them stole a pig. They fear special interests with profit motives are being allowed to influence the reform commission, while their ideas are ignored.

To avoid a spectacular failure, the Medicaid commission must ignore pressure from special interests and inflammatory rhetoric. The only valid test for success of any legislation is whether it serves those who must live with it. If the Medicaid reform commission fails to include the disabled and older adult communities as total partners in this effort, one thing is an absolute certainty: When the next administration, be it Republican or Democratic, takes office, we will be going through this process again.

WILL RICHARDSON, Jackson