Disabled residents fighting to stop health care cuts

By Published: Sep 5, 2012 at 6:58 PM PDT
Disabled residents fighting to stop health care cuts »Play Video
Aditya Ganapathiraju
SEATTLE -- On the University of Washington campus, the all-terrain vehicle you'll find along the waterfront has a very unlikely owner.

"I kind of just remember waking up in the ICU," said Aditya Ganapathiraju, recalling a motorcycle crash he was in 10 years ago. "I was going through an intersection just two blocks from my house. I went into the side of a car that was coming out in front of me."

Ganapathiraju broke three vertebrae, one of which damaged his spinal cord, paralyzing him below the chest. It took years of therapy and rehab for him to regain some strength and movement and, most importantly, to become independent again.

A crucial element of that, he says, was in-home, state-funded health care; with both his parents deceased, it allowed the 20-something college student to stay out of elderly nursing homes, where he might otherwise be.

"There are a lot of vulnerable folks who rely on this service," Ganapathiraju said. "It's unfair, of course, that the situation is how it is. It's understandable that there are political forces at work."

Ganapathiraju is referring to state-mandated budget cuts, which slashed in-home personal health care services for the elderly and the disabled. A judge upheld that the cuts are legal, but the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned that decision, arguing that the cuts violate the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The state has until September 17 to appeal the case to the U.S. Supreme Court, said Carl Peterson with the Autistic Self-Advocacy Network. Peterson joined with other advocates for the disabled Wednesday to call on the state and the governor to not appeal the decision.

"What really is at stake here is the ability for somebody with a disability to stay and live fruitfully and as a positive part of the community instead of living in an institution," Peterson said. "We understand that the governor needs to save money and stuff but this is not the way to do it."

A spokeswoman for Gregoire said the state is still weighing options and deciding whether to appeal, but that Gregoire remains a supporter for the rights of the disabled.

"Even after the budget crisis hit our state and a range of cuts averaging 10 percent were made, Washington was still providing up to 393 hours per month of paid help with personal care and household activities such as dressing, bathing, eating, grooming, cooking, housekeeping, and shopping," wrote Karina Shagren, a spokeswoman for the governor, in an email.

Ganapathiraju, who now works for UW in rehab medicine, says the decision - and possible appeal - could impact all Washington residents.

"This affects everyone and anyone in a sense because anyone can become disabled or have a significant disability in the blink of an eye," he said. "It's a risky decision and I don't think it's in the best interest of Washingtonians."