Excerpt from: mlive (click for full article)
Some of the ideas behind Proposal 4 are helpful – but they don’t belong in the state constitution, a West Michigan disability advocate says.
But supporters said the proposal would help the disabled and elderly by creating a registry of home health care workers, in addition to providing background checks and training for the workers.
The proposal also has drawn fire because it would force workers to pay union dues, considering them government employees because they are paid through Medicaid.
“The constitution just isn’t the place for this conversation,” said David Bulkowski, executive director of Disability Advocates of Kent County, which is opposed to Proposal 4.
“No one is forced into a union under this proposal,” Finn said. “The point of the proposal is to maintain and sustain a registry so that adults have more authority of who is caring for them and coming in their home – to direct their own care in their own homes.”
Brigit Hassig, executive director of the North Ottawa County Council on Aging in Grand Haven, said whether the proposal gets the thumbs up or down on Nov. 6, advocates need to “keep their eye on the prize” and are making sure older adults are getting the services they need.
“With any proposal, we want to make sure that the care adults receive is never less effective … or becomes less affordable than it already is,” Hassig said, noting the agency, like many other council on aging organizations across the state, have not issued a stance on the proposal.
“We want to provide information that is readily available for older adults so they can make their own decisions that will impact their care.”
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