Guest guest Posted May 16, 2006 Report Share Posted May 16, 2006 I know in Massachuestts EI will charge a fee based on your income $0-$50 a year. [ ] EI question > Just wondering, does anyone's state-sponsored EI services charge fees? > My state (Louisiana) is going to start doing this and I was wondering > how common a practice this is. > > Thanks, > Kristi > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 16, 2006 Report Share Posted May 16, 2006 Yes - I'm in Connecticut and we pay a monthly fee for EI. It's based on the size of your family and your total family income and also whether or not you " allow " them to bill your insurance. I put that in quotes because our insurance won't pay anyway!! Good grief I have to say sometimes! - [ ] EI question > Just wondering, does anyone's state-sponsored EI services charge fees? > My state (Louisiana) is going to start doing this and I was wondering > how common a practice this is. > > Thanks, > Kristi > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 16, 2006 Report Share Posted May 16, 2006 New York State does not. Warm regards, ****************** (Rochester, NY) Mom to , 3.0 years, Verbal Apraxia & , 9.5 months ________________________________ From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of myjunkytrash Sent: Tuesday, May 16, 2006 4:37 PM Subject: [ ] EI question Just wondering, does anyone's state-sponsored EI services charge fees? My state (Louisiana) is going to start doing this and I was wondering how common a practice this is. Thanks, Kristi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 16, 2006 Report Share Posted May 16, 2006 Kansas does not (at least in this county - services are county based until 3 then school district). But, services in this county are provided by a not for profit foundation that uses fed and private $$. The foundation has been around a while and has some major philanthropists supporting it, lots of fancy fundraisers. Martha " Oakes, " <susan.oakes@...> wrote: New York State does not. Warm regards, ****************** (Rochester, NY) Mom to , 3.0 years, Verbal Apraxia & , 9.5 months Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 17, 2006 Report Share Posted May 17, 2006 Boy is this a hot button for me...and one I had actually forgotten about. When my son was in EI, my insurance company reimbursed for it. Yes, that's right, 100% covered by my insurance company. While we were in the midst of EI, they started billing 'administrative " fees to families based on a sliding scale. Mine was over $150 per month! So, in addition to receving full coverage, they added this administrative fee. I refused to pay it, and I told them if they did not stop billing me for it, I would call my insurance company and ask them to stop paying for the services, and then I would pay their $150 per month. They seemed to understand the hypocrisy of it at that point, and stopped billing me. Oh, and by the way, they were billing (and collecting) at almost $300 per hour for our home services. > > Just wondering, does anyone's state-sponsored EI services charge fees? > My state (Louisiana) is going to start doing this and I was wondering > how common a practice this is. > > Thanks, > Kristi > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 17, 2006 Report Share Posted May 17, 2006 Wow, what a racket! I can't believe the timing of this in Louisiana. What a time to hit parents of disabled kids with fees, right as they're struggling to rebuild post-Katrina. Very nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 18, 2006 Report Share Posted May 18, 2006 > > Just wondering, does anyone's state-sponsored EI services charge fees? > My state (Louisiana) is going to start doing this and I was wondering > how common a practice this is. > > Thanks, > Kristi > NJ does. It's a sliding scale co-pay based on income. Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 18, 2006 Report Share Posted May 18, 2006 Illinois charges on a sliding scale from $20 - $200 per month based on income, etc. This is to cover administrative costs, which includes the service coordinators, office staff, overhead costs, etc. This does not cover therapy services, nor does it even go toward therapy services. Whether the family has one therapist per month coming in or 20 visits per week, the fee stays the same. If insurance pays for the services, that's great - but they don't pay for the coordination of those services, etc. If insurance denies coverage, the state pays for each therapy service at a pre-determined rate. This money goes to the therapists - not to the EI system. The therapists do not work FOR the Early Intervention system. They are providers. They are not paid by EI. Many therapists are independent, and therefore have a lot of overhead costs of their own, that go with owning a business (not to mention gas prices, these days and drive time between visits). So, residents of those states that don't charge are quite fortunate, or everyone in the state may be helping to foot the bill through higher taxes??? No system is perfect, but it still seems like a bargain to me. If you are receiving 2 sessions per week, those could easily cost between $150 and $200 per week! So, even if you are at the top of the scale, the savings is about 75%. Jill B. > Just wondering, does anyone's state-sponsored EI services charge fees? > My state (Louisiana) is going to start doing this and I was wondering > how common a practice this is. > > Thanks, > Kristi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 19, 2006 Report Share Posted May 19, 2006 Jill here, again. I would like to add, though, that it is a shame how seldom insurance companies will pay. They seem to be in the business of not paying. I am well aware of the tremendous financial burden with which families of children with disabilities are strapped. I was just trying to explain the rationale for the administrative costs. There are no easy solutions. It would be great to determine the state with the " model system " by looking at what each state has in place, and then all other 49 states adopt that model - but imagine the red tape and the logistics. whew! I can't even imagine how that could actually happen. Well, that's the last of my " loose change " on that topic. " No more cents worth " Jill B. Re: [ ] Re: EI question Illinois charges on a sliding scale from $20 - $200 per month based on income, etc. This is to cover administrative costs, which includes the service coordinators, office staff, overhead costs, etc. This does not cover therapy services, nor does it even go toward therapy services. Whether the family has one therapist per month coming in or 20 visits per week, the fee stays the same. If insurance pays for the services, that's great - but they don't pay for the coordination of those services, etc. If insurance denies coverage, the state pays for each therapy service at a pre-determined rate. This money goes to the therapists - not to the EI system. The therapists do not work FOR the Early Intervention system. They are providers. They are not paid by EI. Many therapists are independent, and therefore have a lot of overhead costs of their own, that go with owning a business (not to mention gas prices, these days and dri! ve time between visits). So, residents of those states that don't charge are quite fortunate, or everyone in the state may be helping to foot the bill through higher taxes??? No system is perfect, but it still seems like a bargain to me. If you are receiving 2 sessions per week, those could easily cost between $150 and $200 per week! So, even if you are at the top of the scale, the savings is about 75%. Jill B. > Just wondering, does anyone's state-sponsored EI services charge fees? > My state (Louisiana) is going to start doing this and I was wondering > how common a practice this is. > > Thanks, > Kristi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 19, 2006 Report Share Posted May 19, 2006 I think the model should be determined federally and then applied to all states in a standard way. I personally feel I pay quite a bit in taxes and think there should be services provided in return. When I think about the things our taxes pay for and then think about how little we, as a country, invest in our children, it sickens and embarrasses me. That's just my opinion. And don't even get me started on insurance companies, talk about a broken system! > > Jill here, again. I would like to add, though, that it is a shame how seldom insurance companies will pay. They seem to be in the business of not paying. I am well aware of the tremendous financial burden with which families of children with disabilities are strapped. I was just trying to explain the rationale for the administrative costs. There are no easy solutions. It would be great to determine the state with the " model system " by looking at what each state has in place, and then all other 49 states adopt that model - but imagine the red tape and the logistics. whew! I can't even imagine how that could actually happen. Well, that's the last of my " loose change " on that topic. > > " No more cents worth " > Jill B. > Re: [ ] Re: EI question > > > Illinois charges on a sliding scale from $20 - $200 per month based on income, etc. This is to cover administrative costs, which includes the service coordinators, office staff, overhead costs, etc. This does not cover therapy services, nor does it even go toward therapy services. Whether the family has one therapist per month coming in or 20 visits per week, the fee stays the same. If insurance pays for the services, that's great - but they don't pay for the coordination of those services, etc. If insurance denies coverage, the state pays for each therapy service at a pre- determined rate. This money goes to the therapists - not to the EI system. The therapists do not work FOR the Early Intervention system. They are providers. They are not paid by EI. Many therapists are independent, and therefore have a lot of overhead costs of their own, that go with owning a business (not to mention gas prices, these days and dri! ve time between visits). > So, residents of those states that don't charge are quite fortunate, or everyone in the state may be helping to foot the bill through higher taxes??? No system is perfect, but it still seems like a bargain to me. If you are receiving 2 sessions per week, those could easily cost between $150 and $200 per week! So, even if you are at the top of the scale, the savings is about 75%. > > Jill B. > > > Just wondering, does anyone's state-sponsored EI services charge fees? > > My state (Louisiana) is going to start doing this and I was wondering > > how common a practice this is. > > > > Thanks, > > Kristi > > > > > > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 20, 2006 Report Share Posted May 20, 2006 > > I think the model should be determined federally and then applied to > all states in a standard way. I personally feel I pay quite a bit > in taxes and think there should be services provided in return. > When I think about the things our taxes pay for and then think about > how little we, as a country, invest in our children, it sickens and > embarrasses me. That's just my opinion. And don't even get me > started on insurance companies, talk about a broken system! > That would be nice. Here in NJ, we have very high income and property taxes, and from what I'm gathering here, the highest copays for EI. And of course, since it's an income based scale, the more taxes you pay, the more copay. Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 20, 2006 Report Share Posted May 20, 2006 I was trying to respond to this string through a message from " Jeff " and accidentally deleted the message. Anyway, sounds like Pennsylvania has a terrific system that would serve as an excellent model for the below idea for a federal standard. My father-in-law loves to say " There's always room at the top. " Jill B. [ ] Re: EI question > > I think the model should be determined federally and then applied to > all states in a standard way. I personally feel I pay quite a bit > in taxes and think there should be services provided in return. > When I think about the things our taxes pay for and then think about > how little we, as a country, invest in our children, it sickens and > embarrasses me. That's just my opinion. And don't even get me > started on insurance companies, talk about a broken system! > That would be nice. Here in NJ, we have very high income and property taxes, and from what I'm gathering here, the highest copays for EI. And of course, since it's an income based scale, the more taxes you pay, the more copay. Sue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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