MEDICAID ACTION ALERT!

ACT NOW TO SAFEGUARD MEDICAID FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES!

Congress is on a fast track to repeal major portions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) impacting people with disabilities and to make drastic cuts to the Medicaid program. The level of cuts over time would decimate the Medicaid program.

When will this happen? It's happening now. The House of Representatives is moving quickly to push for a vote by the end of March. The Senate is planning to vote on the House bill before the mid-April recess.

People’s health, services, and lives are at stake. We urgently need advocates to reach out to their Senators and Representatives and tell them to keep ACA provisions impacting people with disabilities and to protect Medicaid. Advocates need to explain why the ACA and Medicaid are essential to people with disabilities and their families. 

MESSAGE: DO NOT CAP AND CUT MEDICAID!

Medicaid is a jointly funded program with matching state and federal funds. Under a Medicaid per capita cap, the federal government would set a limit on how much to reimburse states based on enrollment in the Medicaid program. Unlike current law, funding would not be based on the actual cost of providing services. Much like the proposed block grants, the intent of the per capita caps is to restructure the program and save the federal government money. States could lose an estimated $370 billion in Medicaid funding over a ten year period. The negative impacts to Medicaid recipients could include:

Losing other critical services such as personal care, mental health, prescription drugs, and rehabilitative services. If funds become scarcer, states may decide to stop providing these services altogether. Shifting the costs to individuals or family members to make up for the federal cuts. The costs of providing health care and long term services and supports will not go away, but will be shifted to individuals, parents, states, and providers. Waiting lists will quickly grow.

TAKE ACTION: Call your Senators and Representatives today 202-224-3121. Now is the time for ACTION; remember every call matters! Don’t let Congress take away critical services for millions of people and replace it with a plan that cuts Medicaid and eliminates protections for people with disabilities. 

WHAT TO SAY: (1) I am your constituent. (2) I am a person with a disability or I am a family member of someone with a disability or I am a professional in the disability field. (3) I care deeply about this issue. (4) Do not allow restructuring and cuts to Medicaid to be part of an ACA replacement.

Please take a minute to share this information so others who are affected can know about it and take action too.