As you know, the House-passed American Health Care Act will cut over $800 billion from the federal share of Medicaid. Little attention is currently being paid in the Senate to the impact of such massive cuts to the Medicaid program and how those cuts will hurt people with disabilities, children, seniors, and others who rely on the program for health care and home and community based supports.We need all our chapters to help to make all Senators understand the impact of over $800 billion in cuts to Medicaid. States cannot make up these losses in federal funding. Reimbursements to providers will be cut and people will lose eligibility and/or services. Families and individuals will struggle to find supports and the 50 plus years of bipartisan support that built the home and community based service system will be reversed if the Senate moves forward with the House bill provisions. Help save what we have worked so hard to build.To make matters worse, the House passed cuts combined with a budget proposal released just this week by the Administration, would cut nearly $1.5 trillion dollars from the Medicaid program.We cannot afford to waste any time or effort in working with all Senators to stop these efforts immediately. Here is what we need you to do:
Raise the Alarm in Your Community – Many people, including those who will be most impacted, are not aware of the current threats to the Medicaid program. Include information about the proposed cuts on your website, in email communications, such as your newsletter, and on your social media channels. Follow The Arc of the US on Facebook and Twitter and retweet and share posts, or to find sample language. Additional resources can be found here.
Generate Constituent Calls to Senators in Your State – As this issue moves to the Senate, it is critical that the Senators in your state hear from their constituents about how these cuts will impact them. Forward our Action Alerts to your networks so they have the most up- to-date information and can use our simple tool to contact their Senators and ask them to protect Medicaid. You can always find the latest alert in the Action Center.
Reach out to Your Senators – Congress will be on recess the week of Memorial Day. Contact your Senators and ask for a meeting to discuss the importance of Medicaid in the lives of people with disabilities and their families. You can find tools about meeting with Members of Congress and fact sheets here.Alternately, if you are having an event during the week, or have a family willing to host a visit in their home, invite them to see first-hand the impact of Medicaid on people with I/DD.
Script:
- I am a member of The Arc.
- I am a person with I/DD, or I am a family member of someone with I/DD, or I am a professional in the disability field.
- Do NOT support the AHCA, the bill to cut Medicaid and repeal major protections of the Affordable Care Act. The AHCA would be devastating to people with disabilities and their families.
Thank you for all that you have already done in this fight.Peter BernsCEO, The Arc