Institute for Disability Studies
Family Health Notes
February 2014
Inside this issue:
1) Disability Awareness Day at the Capitol – Feb. 13, Jackson
2) 2014 Building Partnerships. . . Working Together Conference – Feb. 13-14, Jackson
3) Masterpiece Ministry – Feb. 14, Jackson
4) Confusion About Purchase of Private Insurance When Children Are on Medicaid
5) Video - Early Childhood Intervention: The Power of Family
6) Save the Date, Mississippi disAbility MegaConference – June 12-13, Jackson
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1) Disability Awareness Day at the Capitol – Feb. 13, Jackson
Disability Awareness Legislative Day at the State Capitol gives people with disabilities, families and advocates a chance to talk with decision makers. Last year 24 organizations participated in the event which is hosted annually by the Mississippi Coalition for Citizens with Disabilities. To register, call 1.800.721.7255 no later than Feb. 7. Join the group for a Legislative breakfast or a lunch and learn. Plan to visit your state legislators.
2) 2014 Building Partnerships. . . Working Together Conference – Feb. 13-14, Jackson
The 2014 Building Partnerships. . . Working Together Conference for professionals and parents will be held at the Jackson Convention Complex on Feb. 13-14, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sponsored by the Mississippi Department of Education Office of Special Education and the Mississippi Parent Training and Information Center (MSPTI), the conference will host 500 participants, including parents of students who receive special education services; elementary, middle and high school special education teachers; vocational rehabilitation personnel; principals; and superintendents from all the state’s school districts. For more information or to register, visit http://mspti.org/news.asp?id=9.
3) Masterpiece Ministry – Feb. 14, Jackson
Masterpiece Ministry, a ministry for children with disabilities, will be held Fri., Feb. 14, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at Morrison Heights Baptist Church at 3000 Hampstead Boulevard in Clinton. Masterpiece Ministry is providing an evening of activities for special needs children while their parents enjoy a Valentine’s banquet. Both couples and single parents are invited along with their children with disabilities and their siblings. To register, email Kelley Beth Brashier at kbrashier@morrisonheights.org or call 662.523.0435. Please include the number of adults and children who will be attending. Registration deadline is Feb. 7, for families needing an interpreter. Deadline for all other families is Feb. 12.
4) Confusion About Purchase of Private Insurance When Children Are on Medicaid
Individuals with Minimum Essential Coverage (MEC) are not eligible for subsidized coverage in the health insurance marketplaces. This includes children covered by the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), TRICARE (with full benefits), and most children covered under Medicaid, including those covered through TEFRA (Tax Equity and Fiscal Responsibility Act of 1982), home and community-based service waivers (also known as 1915 (c) waivers), and the Family Opportunity Act. Federal policy has not yet been finalized about individuals on Medicaid through a 1115 waiver or a "medically needy" option. For more information, see an article from the Catalyst Center at http://hdwg.org/catalyst/medicaid-and-marketplace or a page of frequently asked questions from the IRS at http://www.irs.gov/uac/Questions-and-Answers-on-the-Individual-Shared-Responsibility-Provision. An article from the Star Tribune newspaper in Minnesota states, however, that some families shopping for subsidized health insurance are told that their Medicaid-covered children cannot be covered under private plans purchased through an Exchange. View this article at http://www.startribune.com/nation/242066931.html?page=all&prepage=1&c=y#continue. While there has been confusion about this situation, federal policy is clear. Parents can purchase private insurance for those children, but they cannot receive subsidies for them. View this information at http://obamacarefacts.com/obamacare-subsidies.php.
5) Video - Early Childhood Intervention: The Power of Family
The Open Society Foundations has published a new video entitled Early Childhood Intervention: The Power of Family (December 2013). This 7:35 minute video features leaders in the field of early childhood development from around the world discussing the benefits of early childhood intervention and the key importance of families to the early intervention process - with input from AUCD network members. To view the video, visit http://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/multimedia/early-childhood-intervention-power-family.
6) Save the Date, Mississippi disAbility MegaConference – June 12-13, Jackson
Mark your calendars now for the Mississippi disAbility MegaConference. Each year, the conference brings together hundreds of individuals with disabilities, their families and friends as well as professionals to share knowledge and inspiration surrounding important topics such as employment, education and services. For more information, visit www.msmegaconference.org.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Family Health Notes~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Family Health Notes is sponsored by the Institute for Disability Studies (IDS), Mississippi’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD) at The University of Southern Mississippi. IDS provides university training, community service activities, research and information that promote the independence, productivity, and community inclusion of individuals with disabilities and their families. For more information about IDS, visit www.usm/edu/ids or call 1.888.671.0051 (TTY). To make a tax-deductible gift to IDS, visit www.usm.edu/ids/supportus.html.
The Family-to-Family Health Information and Education Center (F2F) is a family-focused, family managed resource center that empowers families of Mississippi children with special health care needs to be partners in the decisions made concerning the health of their children. F2F is funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (GR#H84MC07948).
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