As a person with a disability I have witnessed first-hand the isolation that inappropriate institutional placements can cause. Depression, hopelessness, and excessive physical illness became commonplace. I have spent most of my adult life afraid of this fate. For now, I am lucky. I live in my own home with my wife who also experiences a disability. We have part time jobs and are working artists. We are taxpayers. We have a fine network of neighbors and friends. We have pets, a cat and a dog and we are generally thriving. None of this would be possible without a network of home care workers funded by Medicaid. Everybody deserves the choice to live independently.