I have some appointments tonight, but it’s worth noting that this interminable primary season might, at long last, be coming to a close. Obama’s big win in North Carolina and narrow loss in Indiana could be the turn of events that forces Clinton to acknowledge the futility of continuing her quixotic campaign. I don’t put much stock in the persistent conjecture surrounding a possible Obama-Clinton unity ticket, but for the good of the party, the two of them need to do one more joint television appearance and hug it out.

Just when I think that able-bodied couldn’t do anything that surprises me anymore, I come across something that makes me think that the most prrevalent disability is the chronic failure to get on board the clue train. A South African woman was unable to get an ID because the local bureaucrats told her she would need to submit fingerprints, despite the fact that she had no arms. I’m having flashbacks to all those times when physicians asked me to take a deep breath. Or the time when I had my own challenges getting an ID card.

To the able-bodied people of the world: your collective ignorance and bias is starting to bore me. I debated even blogging about this story. In the future, you’re going to have to try a lot harder to get my attention.

I’ve been getting literature in the mail about new managed care plans available to people with disabilities on Minnesota’s Medical Assistance program. These voluntary plans tout their ability to offer care coordination, quick access to specialists, and all of the other basic Medicaid services. Enrollees would not have to pay the usual Medicaid co-pays for prescription drugs, which might make this option particularly attractive for people with low incomes.

The disability community has a longstanding suspicion of managed care that is rooted in the fear that managed care organizations will restrict choice and access to services, particularly personal care assistance. These plans sidestep those concerns by excluding personal care and private duty nursing services in the traditional fee-for-service (FFS) sphere. My wonkish instincts tell me that managed care is becoming the preferred model for administering public health care programs and home care services will eventually be included in future versions of these plans. But it’s going to be some time before the FFS model is even partially abandoned.

I don’t mind managing my own care, but I could see myself choosing one of these plans if my medical needs became more complex.

I need to renew the disability parking tag for my van. I understand the bureaucracy’s need to periodically verify eligibility for things like this, but it seems like I’m wasting a lot of people’s time and resources to prove that my disability still exists. I would be willing to subject myself to a week’s worth of humiliatingly invasive medical exams in exchange for some kind of documentation giving me Gimp-for-Life status. Said documentation would be electronically available to any person or entity wishing to confirm my gimpness, saving me substantial amounts of both time and postage. After all, it’s not exactly a secret. Maybe I could also get some kind of laser-engraved holographic identification card to carry around in my wallet. In glossy black, of course.

A few months ago, I wrote that AT&T was planning on offering a data-only plan for deaf iPhone users. The Text Accessibility Plan (TAP) is now available for $40 per month. The only hoop for potential customers is completing an eligibility application to verify one’s deafness, hearing impairment, or speech impairment.

On a completely unrelated note, the warmed brie on Kincaid’s menu in St. Paul is, like, the best appetizer ever. Its melty goodness is enough to make me weep just a little bit.