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Sacramento (January 27) — At a news conference this morning, a bipartisan group of state legislators expressed serious concerns about proposed cuts in the In Home Supportive Services (IHSS) homecare program. The cuts are part of Gov. Brown’s 2011-12 budget proposals. They would slash state funding for the program by nearly 30 percent.
This marked the first time in recent years that Republicans as well as Democrats have come forward to support IHSS, which was signed into law by then Gov. Ronald Reagan in 1973.
“The fundamental question is: Do we want to promote institutional care that costs $55,000 or more per person per year to operate? Or do we want to encourage home care that costs about $12,000 per person per year?” said Senator Juan Vargas (D-San Diego). “Instead of cutting IHSS, we must figure out ways to move a portion of the 100,000 people currently in institutions into IHSS so we can really begin to save the state money.”
“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that cutting IHSS will have a negative impact on our state’s economy as well as local economies,” added Assembly Member Jim Silva (R-Huntington Beach). “As a former Orange County Supervisor, I’ve seen firsthand that IHSS is much more cost-effective than institutional care.”
Assembly Member Brian Nestande (R-Riverside) recognized some inefficiency in IHSS but said, “I don’t believe that cuts to the program are the solution. Instead, the Governor and the Legislature should be seeking to improve standards and oversight for IHSS to ensure that taxpayer dollars are being maximized.”
Also expressing support for the program was Assembly Member Paul Cook (R-Yucaipa). “I am not one of those Republicans who say all government is bad government. I believe that government has a responsibility to take care of children, the elderly, disabled and veterans in the most humane, cost-effective way possible,” he said. “And I believe that cutting IHSS benefits would be an example of cutting off our nose to spite our face.“
Senator Leland Yee (D-San Francisco) and Assembly Members Marty Block and Toni Atkins, both Democrats from San Diego, also spoke to hundreds of homecare providers and recipients at the Capitol.
UDW Homecare Providers Union Executive Director Doug Moore warned that the proposed cuts would throw thousands of low-income homecare providers out of work and eliminate health insurance coverage for thousands more.
Moore pledged to work with the governor and legislature to find alternatives. “Unlike the previous governor, Gov. Brown and his staff seem to be willing to sit down and talk to us about IHSS,” he said.
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