Dozens defend LifeScape amid potential state cuts

Parents, providers plead with Department of Social Services not to change Medicaid reimbursement rules

In college, Erin Horstmeyer volunteered at LifeScape. She never dreamed that one day she would need the services that LifeScape provides to children and adults with disabilities.

Prior to her son passing away, her family received services to help him get through life with multiple disorders.

Horstmeyer was among dozens of parents who addressed the Department of Social Services Wednesday at an emotional hearing in which the department is proposing rule changes to how hospitals are reimbursed through Medicaid. LifeScape warned its parents that a new payment methodology proposed for outpatient services could reduce funding by 80 percent for more than 3,300 people.

“LifeScape is not like other hospitals,” Horstmeyer said. “It is not comparable to other places.”