State Senator Tim Carpenter Opposes Family Care Enrollment Freeze

State Senator Tim Carpenter, whose constituency includes part of Greenfield, said Monday that a freeze in Family Care enrollment, as proposed in the upcoming state budget, "makes no sense" and that he opposes the measure.

“This successful and cost-saving program helps frail seniors and disabled folks stay in their homes rather than pushing them into more expensive nursing home care,” Carpenter in a news release.

Family Care, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services website, serves people with physical disabilities, people with developmental disabilities and frail elders, with the specific goals of giving people better choices about where they live and what kinds of services and supports they get to meet their needs; improving access to service; and improving quality through a focus on health and social outcomes.

According to the release, approximately 35,000 people in Wisconsin participate in Family Care, including around 8,000 from Milwaukee County. The proposed enrollment cap could block an estimated 16,900 enrollments into Family Care over the next two years.

According to the release, a recent audit showed that Family Care saves the state taxpayers about $1,200 per month, per person, over the taxpayers’ cost for keeping a person in a nursing home.

“Blocking FamilyCare enrollments will predictably lead to taxpayers paying more for nursing home care for many of our vulnerable seniors and disabled folks," Carpenter said. "Given the higher long term costs of nursing home care, the money FamilyCare is saving the state is helping the program pay for itself.

“Some seniors in my district have spent a lifetime paying for their homes, raising families and building their lives in the community. Pushing these folks into nursing homes in order to achieve a short-term ‘accounting’ savings is not only cruel, but is also simply being penny-wise, and pound-foolish."