Example email from Ann Marie Banfield…

Dear Representative, 

I hope you will reverse your opposition to HB1616. While I did not make the public hearing, you need to understand the dangers of removing parental consent when schools bill for Medicaid reimbursement. 

We know that schools have been charged with Medicaid fraud. By including parental consent, we add an additional layer of protection for the taxpayers. Parents can identify services provided for their children, question them, and require corrections if it’s not accurate. 

SEE: Pennsylvania Improperly Claimed $551Million in Medicaid Funds For It’s School Based Program

You should also know that any trip to the school counselor by a student, if it is billed to Medicaid or Medicare, will require the district to assign a medical diagnosis code. This code will be part of the student’s medical chart which follows them to high school, and into any record that is requested by the military during the enrollment period later on in life. This also includes anyone who wants to pursue law enforcement as a career.

A simple trip to the school counselor for a “bad day,” could follow that child the rest of their life. There is no code for normal. That means all of the data collected through Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), and by school counselors, can deny a child a career in the military or in law enforcement. 

That kind of denial happens already, and in many cases, it’s legitimate. But as you can see here, candidates have been barred from the military by simply visiting a counselor for moving several times. Parents who consent for services, have the ability to question services that are provided and billed to taxpayers. 

There are severe consequences that can be applied to a graduate in our public schools that are unfair. By removing this extra layer of protection, which makes these services and expenditures transparent, parents will not be able to monitor all of this. 

I ask you to support HB1616 when it comes to the House Floor for a vote. 
— 

Ann Marie Banfield 

TRUST REQUIRES TRANSPARENCY