SOUTHBURY, CT--(Marketwire - February 22, 2011) - In the midst of an avalanche of news about devastating cuts to Medicaid, a ray of hope shines down on Connecticut. Choice Centered Medicaid (CCM) founder Joe Stango's dream of a Medicaid plan that makes financial, moral, and social sense for seniors and the disabled is finally being realized after his years of fighting for change in Connecticut.
Today, through CCM -- a grassroots movement to give seniors and disabled adults a choice -- Stango hopes to get one million signatures in support of legislation to take his cost-saving ideas for Medicaid transformation to Washington.
What began as one man's crusade to bring his mother home from a nursing home has ended in a new beginning for choice-centered Medicaid. Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy recently announced plans to expand the Money Follows the Person (MFP) program -- set in motion by Stango -- to transition 5,200 seniors and adults with disabilities out of nursing homes, and back into their communities.
"Finally, someone is listening," says Stango. "Allowing Medicaid money to follow the person means people can now receive care at home or other place of their choosing through the MFP program. This move will save taxpayers an average of fifty percent over the cost of nursing home care."
"This is a deeply personal quest I feel compelled to continue nationally," says Stango. "While I was trying to bring my mother home, over 29,000 people supported my efforts by writing to share their own stories. They're the silent majority who, like me, were frustrated by their inability to help a loved one because of Medicaid's insistence on institutionalizing seniors and the disabled."
CBS, ABC, and NBC News, as well as The New York Times provided coverage as Stango worked tirelessly throughout the legislative process in order to bring MFP to Connecticut. He gained the support of the singer Tony Orlando who held a celebratory concert on behalf of CCM. Thanks to Stango's efforts, a choice-centered plan has begun to take hold as a viable solution for Medicaid reform.
ABOUT CHOICE CENTERED MEDICAID (CCM)
CCM is a grassroots movement created by Joseph Stango, an advocate for Medicaid reform. The purpose of the not-for-profit organization is three-fold: bringing awareness to the fact that millions of middle class seniors and disabled adults are forced into nursing homes for long-term care; educating and assisting seniors and disabled adults who want to leave institutions and receive their care in a place of their choosing; and advocating for legislation of cost-saving Medicaid reform that is morally the right thing to do for seniors and disabled Americans.
To view this release in a media-rich format, go to: http://www.pwrnewmedia.com/2011/choice_centered_medicaid/stango/
Contact Information:
Contacts:
Media Contact:
Sharon Schreiber
630-945-1787
Choice Centered Medicaid
Joe Stango
Founder
203-982-8210
PO Box 192
Southbury, Connecticut 06488