Tina Smith: “my job as a Senator is to help protect and defend the freedoms of all Americans. Among the most basic freedoms are those…”

“my job as a Senator is to help protect and defend the freedoms of all Americans. Among the most basic freedoms are those we most often overlook: the freedom to choose where we live-- for example, among family and friends and not among strangers--the freedom to walk down your neighborhood street, and not in a restricted courtyard; and the freedom to be an active member in your community. All too often, these basic freedoms are denied to older Americans and Americans with disabilities. I have noticed an alarming trend in this country: we are unnecessarily isolating people with disabilities from their communities, friends, families, and loved ones by placing them in institutional care facilities. Many of these Americans should not be in a nursing home or other institutional setting. Many Americans with disabilities could be better served--and better integrated into their communities--by allowing them to live in community-based homes. However, recent data indicates that 70 percent of Medicaid dollars are spent on institutional care and only 30 percent are spent on community services for the disabled.”