Medicaid is at Risk, and So is the Health of Millions

July 7, 2011

Reducing funding to Medicaid and Massachusetts MassHealth programs would be detrimental to the children, seniors, people with disabilities, and families who rely on the program.

And yet, despite loud protests from their constituents, there are those in Congress who continue to back proposals that call for converting Medicaid to a block grant program or putting global caps on spending. There is even legislation moving through the House to strip out the maintenance of effort (MOE) requirement for Medicaid in the Affordable Care Act, which could result in states making drastic cuts to their Medicaid eligibility levels.

What’s missing from all of these proposals? Not one of them addresses underlying health care spending. Instead, they shift costs onto the states, seniors and people with disabilities, and America’s families—those who can least afford it.

To assess the human impact of the proposed Medicaid cuts, Families USA produced the report, Cutting Medicaid: Harming Seniors and People with Disabilities Who Need Long-Term Care. This report is accompanied by reports for each state, to help you communicate the harm these cuts would bring to people in your community.

To see how your state would be specifically affected, check out our series of state-by-state fact sheets @ http://www.familiesusa.org/issues/long-term-services/states/preserving-maintenance-of-effort.html

Tell Massachusetts Members of Congress to Support Medicaid for People with Disabilities.

Medicaid is a central part of our safety-net system, with millions of Americans relying on it for their health care needs. Please use these resources to communicate to the public, the media, and your legislators how these proposals will have a devastating effect on our nation’s seniors and people with disabilities.