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Rather than helping develop care plans that would allow disabled Minnesotans to live in their homes, counties continue to steer thousands into facilities that promote dependency and isolation.
A year later, the Johnsons applied again, and again Pine County said no. Finally, worn down by constant anxiety and repeated trips to the emergency room, the Johnsons turned to their last resort: They sold their house and moved 40 miles west to Kanabec County. Two months later, Michaela was approved for more than $60,000 a year in home care and medical equipment. “You get to the point where you’re told ‘no’ so many times that you have no choice: You have to pack up and leave,” Michelle Johnson said from the family’s new home in Mora. The Johnsons are among tens of thousands of Min...