Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Warren Releases Sprawling Plan To Help People With Disabilities, Including Closing A Minimum Wage Loophole
The Hill: Warren Unveils Plan To Help Disabled People
2020 White House hopeful Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) on Thursday released a plan aimed at helping disabled Americans, including measures on economic security, health care and criminal justice. The sprawling plan included changes to Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI), aspects of which "trap beneficiaries in poverty," according to Warren's campaign. (Frazin, 1/2)
Time: Warren Unveils Plan To Help People With Disabilities
“Though we have made significant progress for the 61 million Americans living with disabilities, we have a lot of ground left to cover,” Warren’s plan says. “People with disabilities are still fighting for economic security, equal opportunity, and inclusion – and they are not fighting alone. As President, I will work in partnership with the disability community to combat ableism.” (Abrams, 1/2)
Reuters: Warren Would End 'Subminimum' Wage In Plan To Aid Disabled U.S. Workers
Disabled adults are more than twice as likely to live in poverty as those without a disability and the unemployment rate among individuals with disabilities is more than twice the rate of others, Warren said. As a senator, Warren has asked the Labor Department to end a program allowing employers to seek waivers to pay disabled individuals less than the federal minimum wage of $7.25 per hour, sometimes as little as 33 cents. Warren said on Thursday she would end the “shameful subminimum wage” and pass a law to help disabled workers transition to more competitive employment opportunities. (Becker, 1/2)
In other news —
The Associated Press: Parents Of Adult Children With Disabilities Fill Housing Gap
For caretakers, the inevitable question of where to place their children with disabilities when they are no longer around can be scary and overwhelming. But some are literally breaking new ground in finding an answer. Parents in Arizona, Wisconsin, Maryland and other states have become the architects of their children’s futures. One reason: Social media and online resources are inspiring parents to look beyond the status quo, said Desiree Kameka, director of the nonprofit Autism Housing Network, which maintains a list of U.S. residential opportunities for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It shows nearly 50 communities are being developed or are in the planning phase nationwide, including several that are parent-driven. (Tang, 1/3)
