“I live with my primary caregivers, my aging parents, and I qualify for the in-home, self-directed state Medicaid waiver programs. A personal service aide visits daily to assist with meals, a lift needed for toileting, light housekeeping, bathing, dressing and transportation to appointments. It would cost $80,000 a year for me to live in a nursing home but only $30,000 a year for a caregiver to come to my house. The program saves the state money by keeping me in my home.”

 -Christin Haun, an Oklahoman with a degenerative neuro-muscular disorder, in a letter to legislators criticizing cuts to Medicaid (Source)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ryan Gentzler worked at OK Policy from January 2016 until November 2022. He last served as the organization's Reserach Director and oversaw Open Justice Oklahoma. He began at OK Policy as an analyst focusing on criminal justice issues, including sentencing, incarceration, court fines and fees, and pretrial detention. Open Justice Oklahoma grew out of Ryan’s groundbreaking analysis of court records, which was used to inform critical policy debates. A native Nebraskan, he holds a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of Oklahoma and a BA in Institutions and Policy from William Jewell College. He served as an OK Policy Research Fellow in 2014-2015.

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