Call to action...Call your U.S. Senator...

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Legislative Action Alert

From the Special Needs Alliance

May 17, 2011

Issue: Medicaid Block Grants

The U.S. budget for fiscal year 2012 is now being debated and discussed in the

U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Every program is up for discussion and

every program is facing scrutiny. We believe that the Medicaid program, and the

critical services it delivers to the communities we serve, is in danger.

According to The ARC*, the U.S. House of Representatives has already voted to:

cut Medicaid by 20% (or about $770 billion over 10 years)

cap the amount the federal government spends on it. The funding would not keep

up with health care inflation.

block grant it to the states. This means that states can spend the money almost

any way they like and can just cut out groups of people or services. They could

even return to placing people in institutions.

Action: Call your Senators

The SNA recommends a collective call to action by all those potentially affected

by these proposed cuts and changes. SNA members, their clients, families and

friends are urged to call their U.S. Senators and make the case that we oppose

block grants for Medicaid (the House of Representatives has already approved

this plan but the Senate has not)

Make use of The ARC website to find out who your U.S. Senators are by following

the link below. There is also suggested language on how to convey this message

to your Senators.

http://bit.ly/lch2uI

For more information about Medicaid and block grants, follow this link:

http://bit.ly/lQsU5u

*Special thanks to The Arc for their information and research on Medicaid block

grants and the call to action

http://www.thearc.org

Ellen Garber Bronfeld

egskb@...