Fw: The Arc Action Alert: The House 2012 Federal Spending Plan is Devastating to People with Disabilities

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The Arc Action Alert: The House 2012 Federal Spending Plan is Devastating to

People with DisabilitiesFYI

Ellen

Ellen Garber Bronfeld

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The Arc Action Alert: The House 2012 Federal Spending Plan is

Devastating to People with Disabilities

The House 2012 Federal Spending Plan is Devastating for People with

Disabilities and Will NOT Reduce the Deficit Take Action!

Tell your Representative to Vote NO!

Last week, House Budget Committee Chairman (R-WI) released

his Fiscal Year 2012 spending plan (known as a budget resolution). This plan

pulls the plug on people with disabilities, seniors, students, and the middle

class to pay for tax cuts for millionaires by targeting:

Medicaid

Cuts $1.4 trillion over 10 years, reducing federal support by

about 33%. Converts it to a block grant program

Medicare

Replaces Medicare with a voucher program

Discretionary Programs

Eliminates most federal government programs outside of health

care, Social Security, and defense over time as the cuts are so deep.

Health Care Reform

Repeals and defunds the Affordable Care Act.

The $4.3 trillion from all of those cuts will be used to provide

$4.2 trillion in tax cuts over 10 years. Very little money will go towards

deficit reduction.

What Would these Changes Mean for People with Disabilities?

There would be no guarantee of services. People with disabilities

could be denied:

a.. health insurance coverage

b.. home and community based services

c.. supportive housing

d.. job training

e.. education

f.. transportation

g.. and much, much more

Worse yet, states could return to the days where they " warehoused "

people with disabilities in institutions to save money. This would be cheaper

under the plan since states will no longer have to meet the quality

standards currently imposed by the Medicaid program for institutions. And

waiting lists for home and community based services would grow much longer.

What Can I Do?

The House of Representatives will vote on the budget plan this

Friday, April 15. We must let them know that this plan is just plain wrong for

America. Let's make some noise!

Please call your Representative this week. Call toll free:

1-866-922-4970. If the line is busy, please enter your zip code in the " call

now " box to obtain the District Office phone number.

What should I Say?

a.. I am a person with a disability or parent/caregiver of a

person with a disability. (Briefly describe your situation, if you like.)

b.. The budget plan will take funding from people with

disabilities to pay for tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. And it does

almost nothing to reduce the federal deficit.

c.. A Medicaid block grant would be devastating for me/my family

member.

d.. Please vote against the budget proposal.

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