We need your help!

Congress may consider cuts toMedicaid in 2018. Based on a recommendation of a small affiliate leader work group, we have developed a short survey to assist in our efforts to educate Congress on how further cuts to Medicaid will negatively impact not only the people we serve, but the dedicated people who make up our staff and our affiliate’s ability to serve our communities. The data your affiliate provides will help us build a business case to add to the powerful stories of those who will be hurt by cuts or restricted access to needed Medicaid services. We encourage you to share specific information in the comment boxes on steps you have/will take to balance budgets (i.e., ended 401k contribution, reduced health insurance benefit, reduced compensation, and closed service site). Thank you in advance for your participation!
Deadline to complete the survey is Friday, February 16, 2018.The estimated time to complete the Medicaid Impact Affiliate Survey is approximately 20-30 minutes.

Note: We recognize that Medicaid dollars are administered differently in each state and that the combined federal and state Medicaid investment touches many health and human services programs operated in your state. This survey is intended to capture the broadest possible reach of Medicaid, so we can get a global sense of its impact on the Easterseals affiliate network. In your survey response, please consider each of your funding streams to determine if any of them include Medicaid funding at the state or federal level. Also, if your affiliate provides Medicaid services in multiple states,please complete a separate survey for each stateso that we have accurate state-by-state information.

Medicaid Survey Worksheet: To assist in your efforts to collect Medicaid impact information for your various affiliate services, we are including the survey worksheet, available in both PDF and Word formats, for your consideration.

If you need assistance in filling out the survey or have questions, including what affiliate services you should include in your Medicaid impact response, please contactMaynard FrieszorJim Adamsat Easterseals Office of Public Affairs.

Medicaid Impact Affiliate Work Group Members: Bob Glowacki, President and CEO, Easterseals Southeast Wisconsin; Verna Hensley, Vice President of Public Affairs, Easterseals Delaware & Maryland’s Eastern Shore; and Nancy Knoebel, President and CEO, Easterseals Eastern Pennsylvania.

  1. Enter Your Contact Information

Name: ______

Title: ______

Affiliate: ______

Phone: ______Email: ______

Medicaid services provided in: (Drop downmenu will list all 50 states and the District of Columbia)

Note:If your affiliate provides Medicaid services in multiple states,please complete a separate survey for each stateso that we have accurate state-by-state information.

  1. What Medicaid-funded services does your affiliate provide? (Please checkall that apply, for both adult and children/youth services)

Medicaid Services / Children & Youth Services / Adult & Senior Services
Applied Behavior Analysis (Autism Services)
Attendant Care
Case Management Services
Clinical social work
Community Adult Day
Early Intervention Services: occupational, speech and physical therapy (Feeding, gross and fine motor skills)
Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment
Hearing care
Independent and Supported Living
Life skills services
Medical care
Medical Rehabilitation
Medication & health care
Mental health treatment
Nursing services
Personal Assistance and Habilitation
Residential/ Attendant Care
Supported Employment – Prevocational
Therapeutic foster care
Transportation
OTHER:
  1. During the last full year, your affiliate provided Medicaid services totaling:

$0 up to $1 million

$1 million up to $3 million

$3 million to $5 million

$5 million up to $10 million

$10 million and above

  1. During the last full year, Medicaid funding represented what percentage of your total affiliate revenue?

0 up to 10 percent

10 up to 25 percent

25 up to 40 percent

40 up to 60 percent

60 up to 80 percent

More than 80 percent

  1. How many individuals did your affiliate serve during the last full yearthrough Medicaid funding?

0 up to 50

50 up to 100

100 up to 500

500 up to 1,000

1,000 up to3,000

3,000 up to 5,000

5,000 up to 10,000

Above 10,000

  1. How many full-time and part-time affiliate positions are fully or mostly funded through Medicaid funding?

0 to 4

5 to 9

10 to 19

20 to 39

40 to 59

60 to 100

More than 100

  1. What types of affiliate positions are Medicaid-funded? (Please check all that apply)

Case Manager

Direct care worker

Independent Living Support Specialist

Mental Health Counselor

Nurse

Social Worker

Supported Employment Specialist

Therapist (i.e., Speech, PT, OT)

  1. During the last year, your overall Medicaid funding has:

Increased(Proceed to question #9)

Decreased(Proceed to question #10)

Remained about the same(Proceed to question #11)

  1. What was the reason your Medicaid program funding INCREASED?

More people served through existing affiliate Medicaid services

More people served through new affiliate Medicaid services

Reimbursement rate increase for existing Medicaid services

N/A

  1. What was the reason your Medicaid program funding DECREASED?

Closed a Medicaid service location, which resulted in less Medicaid funding

Fewer people were referred/served through our affiliate Medicaid services

Reimbursement rate decrease for existing Medicaid services

Terminated one of our affiliate Medicaid services, which resulted in less Medicaid funding

N/A

  1. What is the best way to describe the cost to deliver Medicaid funded services during the last five years?

Costs to deliver Medicaid services have increased

Costs to deliver Medicaid services have decreased

Costs to deliver Medicaid services have remained the same

  1. Identify which expenses (to deliver Medicaid services) have increased over the last five years: (Please check all that apply)

Equipment and technology

Health care premiums

Office space rents

Regulatory and Compliance costs (i.e., HIPPAA, electronic health records)

Staff salaries

  1. How has your affiliate addressed past Medicaid funding or reimbursement cuts?(Please check all that apply)

Closed a Medicaid service location

Did not fill open positions

No service impact – found program efficiencies or made up loss through charitable donations

No staff pay raises or benefit increases

Reduced benefits or cut staff salaries

Reduced staff hours (i.e. from FTE to PTE or 30 hours a week to 20 hours a week)

Scaled back program and services (i.e. reduced hours of operating)

Staff layoffs

Tapped agency reserves or endowment

Terminated a Medicaid service at our affiliate

  1. How has your affiliate in the past three years addressed the rising cost to deliver Medicaid funded services?(Please check all that apply)

Closed programs

Did not fill open positions

No service impact – found program efficiencies or made up loss through charitable donations

No staff pay raises or benefit increases

Reduced staff hours (i.e. from FTE to PTE or 30 hours a week to 20 hours a week)

Reduced staff salaries or benefits

Scaled back program and services (i.e. reduced hours of operating)

Staff layoffs

  1. How would you balance your affiliate’sbudget if Medicaid rates or funding are reduced (i.e., per capita cap or other cuts) next year?(Please check all that apply)

Close program

Eliminate open positions

Lay off staff

Make up the difference through donated dollars or other program efficiencies

No staff pay raises or benefit increases

Reduce staff hours

Reduce staff salary or benefits

Scaled back program and services (i.e. reducing service hours or locations)

  1. What has Medicaid funding cuts or stagnant funding meant to your affiliate? (Please check all that apply)

Closed/ reduced programs and services

Difficulty recruiting staff

Low staff morale

Redirected charitable donations that were once used to expand services to maintain services

Staff departures/ increased turnover

Scaled back services (i.e., reducing service hours or locations)

  1. What has Medicaid funding cuts or stagnant funding meant to individuals who rely on these services? (Please check all that apply)

Fewer individuals receive services due to eligibility restrictions

Individuals are having a harder time receiving services due to reduced hours or locations

Individuals cannot access services due to lack of community provider options

No change for individuals receiving Medicaid services

  1. Please describe how you currently use charitable donations at your affiliate: (Please check all that apply)

Create new or expand existing services & programs

Maintain existing programs when costs to deliver service exceeds available program funds

Provide scholarships or reduce service costs for most-in-need families

  1. What is your outlook for charitable giving in the future?

We expect charitable donations to our affiliate to increase

We expect charitable donations to our affiliate to decrease

We expect no changes in charitable donations to our affiliate

  1. If Medicaid funding is cut, do you expect your affiliate could cover the loss in funding through charitable donations?

Yes,

No

  1. Please describe your affiliate in comparison with other Medicaid services providers/competitors in your community?

We are one of the largest providers in our community

We are a mid-size provider in our community.

We are one of the smaller providers in our community

  1. If your affiliate ends or reduces Medicaid services due to low reimbursement rates, what impact would it have on the ability of your clients to access these services elsewhere in the community?

Our clients will be served by other service providers in our community

Our clients will struggle to find other service providers in our community who deliver the services they need

Our clients will not be able to provide another service provider in our community and will go without this service

  1. Please share any other feedback and examples related to your ability to deliver quality Medicaid funded services. Your comments are very valuable to our advocacy efforts!