What Happens When You Pay for Your Own Services?

By John O’Brien

In most places, the government still pays people who give services. Services like a place to live, help with finding a job, support in keeping a place of your own. In some places, things are starting to change! The government is starting to give money to people with developmental disabilities to pay for their own services. This gives people more decisions to make about what service they need and when they need it.

There are some questions to ask about this change. Will it really change anything? Will people really get better services if they can pick and choose? Some people say yes. If you pay for your own services and you don’t like them, you find someone else to pay.

It may not work that way. Paying someone to help you live your life is not like buying a car or a house. It is different. This paper talks about how it can be different. What Happens When You Pay for Your Own Services?