He lost 10 years in a Georgia nursing home. Fed rules make it common

ATLANTA – Nick Papadopoulos clenched the bed at his nursing home, terrified he would roll off without guardrails.

A wispy woman floated in from another room, confused, and crawled into bed with him. Papadopoulos, 38, yelled and hit the call button for help.

It was the start of a yearslong nightmare lived by millions of disabled and elderly Americans who rely on Medicaid: Instead of receiving in-home care to live independently, they are often forced to live in institutions.

On Aug. 31, the Trump administration moved to make it easier for states to place disabled and elderly people in institutions. To appease a lawsuit from several Republican-led states, government lawyers told a federal judge they were willing to erase a 50-year-old provision requiring federal funds be used to care for people in their homes, whenever possible.

In effect, it undermines a landmarkSupreme Court case from Papadopoulos’ home state that said denying people the ability to live in their communities is discrimination.

Advocates say the government’s concession erodes hard-fought civil rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act. And it threatens the return of a system where disabled people are locked in institutions instead of being allowed to live in their homes.

Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/