Health Care and Severe Disabilities

For a person who has a disability, or who has a family member with a disability, health care is really important. The need for medical attention among the disability community is usually higher and more consistent throughout the years, it is generally more expensive, harder to obtain, and sometimes, the solutions provided are even undesirable.
Ari Ne’eman talks about some instances where this has been the case and passionately defends the special needs population. Specifically, he mentioned the Community Choice Act, which was supported by Obama during his campaign, and how that would help people with disabilities get the health care they need. Unfortunately, according to Ne’eman, Obama is not following through, and Ne’eman calls for the integration of disabled citizens and the non-disabled citizens.
Read his article here: http://specialneeds08.blogspot.com/2009/08/disability-and-health-care-firsthand.html
This debate has recently been outside the walls of the White House: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsKkAAzZgNQ
More information on Obama’s health care plan can be found here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/health_care/plan/

Do Ne’eman and Laurna have a reasonable argument? Are the disabled being treated differently under Obama’s new plan?

I think that Ne’eman and Laurna’s concerns are valid. It is imperative that we ensure coverage for people with disabilities and the concern becomes even more real if that person is close to us. I know, as a future mother, that I would want to take every precaution to make sure that my child will have access to all the care he would need – without too much extra cost on my part. However, after reading President Obama’s plan, I feel that enough support is being given to those with special needs and that it would not be unreasonable difficult to obtain the needed coverage. Taking into account Ne’emans concerns, I also believe that there is a need for individualization in the process. Each individual needs to be considered on a case by case basis to determine what their specific needs are and the best way to satisfy those needs.