CFCO Supporters Ask For Governor Positions (UPDATED)

Jason Pederson with our content partner, KATV News, reports:

Disability rights activists worked to pin down Arkansas’s next governor today on an issue that is important to them.

For the third day in a row protestors – many of them from other states – took to the streets of Little Rock.

Today, they invaded the campaign offices of two men who aspire to be Arkansas’ next governor, Mike Ross and Asa Hutchinson.

The purpose of their visits was clear.

“We just want to nail him down to come out and support Community First Choice Option,” said Brenda Stinebuck with ADAPT Arkansas.

Community First Choice Option, CFCO, is the section of the Affordable Care Act that would allow Medicaid money to be spent supporting disabled Americans who choose to live in their homes as opposed to a facility.

On Monday, the protestors visited the offices of the Arkansas Health Care Association, which represents the interests of nursing homes and some of the other facilities where many of the state’s disabled currently live.

Not surprisingly, the ACHA is not pushing implementation of the Community First Choice Act.

But where does candidate Mike Ross stand?

“Democratic nominee for governor Mike Ross today said he would support the goals outlined in the Community First Choice Option outlined in Arkansas,” said Ross’s spokesman Brad Howard.

Republican candidate Asa Hutchinson’s spokesman J.R. Davis issued a statement.

“We are gathering all the facts about CFCO. That includes reviewing the costs and savings figures and listening to interested parties. We will make a decision based on what is best for Arkansas,” Davis said.

“It’s cheaper,” argued Stinebuck. “It makes more sense. And that’s where people want to be. People do not want to be locked away in institutions. They want to be at home.”

Will the state really save money if the Community First Choice Option is implemented? Last week, state lawmakers asked the Division of Legislative Audit to answer that question.

Like yesterday, Some protestors were arrested today for trespassing but none were jailed, just ticketed and released.

You can watch the video report here.

UPDATE: Frank Gilbert, Libertarian candidate for governor, offered his comments on the disability rights group that has been protesting in Arkansas. He said he disagreed with both Hutchinson’s and Ross’ positions.

“Asa straddled the fence and Mike promised to spend more money,” Gilbert said. “Both of them ignored the fact that the problem has been caused by government intervention in health care and insurance. As a result we have politicians and bureaucrats making decisions for patients and their families.”

In a press release, Gilbert said the federal Medicare system and Arkansas’ Private Option are “at the heart of the problems” being discussed by ADAPT, the disability rights group that also tried to occupy the Arkansas Health Care Association’s offices.

“Giving politicians the power to choose for sick or injured persons is lunacy. Politicians want to please everyone before the election, so they promise in-home or small community based care. After the election, they have to deal with bankrupt government programs, so they stack us up in huge medical warehouses. The only solution is to get government out of the loop and let individual Arkansans choose which is best for them,” Gilbert said.