[RD] SSAN ACTION ALERT: STOP $10 BILLION IN MEDICAID CUTS!

[Guest guest]

PLEASE LET ME KNOW OF YOUR ADVOCACY! THANK YOU! Helen HoffmanISSUE: The last week has taught all of us how vulnerable people withdisabilities are to natural disasters. Now is NOT the time for Congress toslash $10billion from Medicaid, our country's program, not only for people withdisabilities, but also for low-income families, pregnant women, and seniors.ACTION:1. Call your Congressional Representative and Senators Clinton andSchumer, and ask them to KEEP OUR SAFETY NET STRONG FOR PEOPLE WITHDISABILITIES AND LOW-INCOME INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES by eliminating the $10billion cut from Medicaid in the budget process this month, and to sign onto the Capps "Dear Colleague" letter calling for no Medicaid cuts.In the wake of Hurricane Katrina's devastation. the need for a strongMedicaid program is more urgent than ever.2. Write (by FAX or e-mail) your Congressional Representative and SenatorsClinton and Schumer, using the letter below as a guide.As Always, PLEASE let me know which actions you take. Thank you! Helen HoffmanDisability Rights AdvocateRegional Center for Independent Living1641 East AvenueRochester, New York 14610585.442.6470 V/TTYSAMPLE LETTERSeptember 13, 2005Dear Member of Congress:I write to ask you to support efforts to eliminate the $10 billion inMedicaid cuts that are scheduled to be voted on this month as part of thebudget reconciliationprocess. Representative Lois Capps is circulating a Dear Colleague letterthat calls for those cuts to be removed and I strongly urge you to sign on.Since Hurricane Katrina tore through the South and shattered tens ofthousands of lives, we are again reminded that Medicaid is the essentialresource tohelp displaced families, people with disabilities, children and low-incomeAmericans obtain medical care and life-saving treatment, as it did after9/11in New York. Medicaid will be, more than ever, a lifeline not only forpeople with disabilities, but also for millions of people from Louisiana andMississippi,many of whom have been displaced and are unemployed. This disaster hashighlighted the need to have a strong and responsive safety net for our mostvulnerablecitizens.Hurricane Katrina showed us that even short term loss of health care,including ventilators, dialysis, and medication, puts people at extremerisk. Peoplewith disabilities face the highest risk of injury, illness, and even death.Because people with disabilities rely to a large extent on Medicaid forhealthcare, as private health insurance is either unavailable or unaffordable, theloss of Medicaid will disproportionately affect those who need it the most.[At this point, if applicable, insert a personal story. State your (or afamily member’s or friend’s) disability, and how you (or he or she) dependon Medicaidfor survival. Personal stories (but keep it short) are more effective thangeneric letters.]In addition to rejecting the $10 billion in cuts, I also urge you to enactemergency legislation that provides for 100% federal funding for disasterreliefMedicaid to ensure that all hurricane survivors and all displaced personsare guaranteed access to Medicaid health coverage for at least one year astheyseek to rebuild their lives. New Yorkers know better than anyone howcritical it is to maintain access to health care after a disaster, as thehighly effectiveDisaster Relief Medicaid program enacted in the wake of the September 11thattacks, so vividly demonstrated. Eligibility for disaster relief Medicaidmust be straightforward and simple, as it was in New York. Anyone directlyor indirectly affected by this natural disaster without alternative coverageshould be eligible for Medicaid coverage presumptively.Please support our health care safety net and the 50 million people who relyon it, millions of whom who have been affected by Hurricane Katrina, byopposingMedicaid cuts in the budget. Thank you.(Your name and address)