Eric Bradner, writing for the Evansville Courier Press, has a good account of the State Budget Committee’s hearing on the privatization contract which transferred handling of welfare applications from the Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) to IBM and Affiliated Computer Systems, Inc. (ACS). (ACS, quite coincidentally, I’m sure, was former FSSA chief, Mitch Roob’s former employer.)
The privatization has cost the state of Indiana a pile of money and has led to chronic complaints of lost documentation and long waiting times. Unlike the former system, there is no dedicated caseworker for applicants, so they’re at the mercy of whoever happens to pick up the phone after they finally get out of automated phone hell.
As I’ve mentioned before, this bureaucracy seems like a design flaw if your goal is to deliver services to Hoosiers in need. On the other hand, the system seems less flawed if your goal is to transfer taxpayer money to preferred associates and to discourage poor people from applying for and receiving benefits. If that’s the goal, then those lost documents and increased wait times seem less like bugs and more like features.
Your comment on the robot type of telephone service is on target. Recently had a question concerning my grandchildren and medical insurance—-took about 5 minutes to get to waiting for a real human and the parting comment was “the average waiting time is 41 minutes”. It actually took about 5 more minutes. Local assistance was much more helpful.
I’m pretty sure that the goal was to discourage applicants and reduce the payout of benefits. The hope was that no one would notice or take note of complaints. Daniels and company knew that they couldn’t dismantle welfare and food stamps, but they have made it more difficult to get them. Then, if anyone says, “You know, I think you wanted this to happen” they can say, oh now, we’re just trying to make the system more efficient, blah, blah, blah.
I myself have applied for pregnancy medicaid and it has been a complete disaster. I have been waiting over 6 months, with constant mistakes, errors, and carelessness on there side I fear I will never get approved. Each person tells you something different on the phone. No one cares about your case. I wasted hours and hours waiting to speak with someone and for some reason no matter how many times I fax in my paperwork, send it in certified mail and call they are always missing something. If this is the way that our government handles healthcare right now, I can only imagine what it will be like when universal healthcare is approved….
Well, if it were universal, you wouldn’t have to worry so much about paperwork and approvals. The paperwork would be standard and approvals – especially for routine stuff like pregnancy – probably wouldn’t be an issue.
Lisa – I had a similar run around applying for disability Medicaid. It took about 8 months to get approved and that was only after I appealed their denial and won my case at a judicial hearing. This is less a result of a federal program and more the result of Mitch’s privatization scheme, which is a known failure. Each state creates it’s own “rules” about what is covered, the application process and who is covered. Indiana is has been proven to be poor in it’s application process.
I’ve now been on Medicaid for over two years. Actual care is pretty good with minimal paperwork, never denied any health care. I have only minor complaints about the actual care I receive, the speed at which procedures are approved and certainly have no complaints about the cost of my care.
Doug’s point about universality is key. Medicaid is subject to cuts and, according to my lawyer, approval is often highly dependent upon on state budgets.
Even worse than the call center located in Grant County, Indiana – is the FSSA office that people in the county have to use for services located at 1800 Kem Road. That place is a nightmare of lost documents, caseworkers who have no training and make the rules as they go along in order to deny clients benefits. They tape record the clients part of the conversation – but not what they say to clients. They do not have to provide the written information about the rules to clients – but just something verbal which changes each time. If you question some information – you get threatened for any and all questions. Basically the caseworkers are dictators who make up the rules as they go along. They are not held accountable for misplacing files or failing to send out letters or correspondance. They call their clients stupid, lazy and liars. They do not keep information confidential. They call your workplace and talk to managers and coworkers, call your landlord and neighbors – over and over. Their only goal is to reduce their caseload so that they can sit and play around in that building doing nothing but talk and eat fast food. The staff acts like it isn’t their job to answer phones, send/fax copies or respond in a civil manner to their clients. They seem to forget that without clients – they themselves will not have a job either. The caseworkers and staff have no college training in social services and no communication skills. The computers do not work. They will not give clients documents to fill out. The computer links to get documents do not work. Documents are not date stamped correctly and/or are misfiled and lost. Each caseworker tells a customer something different – then they lie and say they didn’t say it. Documents are left out for others to see – which have confidential information on them. Confidential information is discussed in front of others. The caseworkers mix up the files of Tanf and Snap clients – the programs are different. There is favoritism in the work search plans – the caseworker allows people they like – friends and family do not have to do as much job searching as people they do not like. The caseworkers do not follow the Federal and state guidelines – but create their own rules. A complete investigation needs to be of this office.
@Lisa: I’m sorry to read about your troubles, and hope that you have things sorted out by now.
If you want or need to assign blame please lay it at the feet of Mitch Daniels, and remember your experience if/when he runs for higher office. Medicaid is a federal program that is administered by the states, so if you are having problems with Hoosier Healthwise, that is because of the changes to the program that have happened under Mitch Daniels. I’m not saying that the previous system was perfect, but at least in the past you would have been assigned a case worker at a local office who could have helped you get your paperwork in order and made sure that your benefits came in a timely manner. Call centers generally don’t work for administering social services, and Daniels knows that. He and his crew don’t care. They think that people who need assistance are lazy, stupid, and shiftless. They wouldn’t dare say that to your face or in the news media, but that’s what they think. If I recall correctly, one or two (ahem) of Daniels’ supporters have said as much in the comments section at this blog. Daniels himself once said that people who are complaining about the changes in FSSA are people who cheated to get benefits in the past.
Also, keep in mind that there is no universal health care coming at all from the bill that President Obama signed. As Doug said, universal health care could have made for a streamlined system of administering both health care and social services benefits related to health care such as Medicaid.
I have a 4 year old son that is disabled, a 10 year old daughter that has to attend counseling, and a 2 year old daughter. Because of my sons disability I am unable to work, ever. His doctors sent a print out to fssa telling them that I am under no circumstance allowed to work, I have to be with him 24/7 except the times that he is at his special school for it. I was denied and then closed out for medicade for my children and food stamps because I did not have my name listed on a bank statement from a joint account I share with my roommate. They reopend it and then put half of the benifits on there, they said they are still processing the rest. It has been over a month now, I decided to marry my best friend so that atleast my kids dont have to go without. Something needs to be done about these people! My kids are everything to me, and because of them I had to get married to be able to afford to have a place to live and food and insurance for my children.