ALERT – IMMEDIATE ACTION NEEDED!
As part of the annual budget process, Congress is setting binding priorities
for federal spending. To pay for new tax cuts proposed by President Bush,
the House Budget Committee has instructed the Commerce Committee to
cut
approximately $95 BILLION from Medicaid spending (and $214 billion cuts
in Medicare). It is expected that the full House will vote on the resolution
this week. This proposal comes in conjunction with provisions in the budget
to implement the Administration’s Medicaid block grant proposal.
While many members of Congress have expressed concern about the proposed
Medicare cuts (which would leave little new funding for a prescription drug
benefit), there is a real fear that the Medicaid cuts will get overlooked
in the process. The Senate budget resolution does not currently include
these cuts. But the Senate and House ultimately have to negotiate a joint
budget resolution. If the House budget has $95 billion in cuts and the Senate
has none, one compromise could, for example, allow $45-50 billion in cuts.
And because of the rules under which these cuts are being considered (“reconciliation”),
opposition to these cuts as they move through the legislative process will
be extremely difficult.
We all know Medicaid has been under attack at every level of government.
Imagine additional cuts of $50 or $95 billion in federal spending and the
cuts to local services that such a reduction would require. Would Medicaid
even survive? What does $95 billion pay for in Medicaid? Here are some
examples:
· two years of nursing home care
· four years of prescription drug coverage
· eight years of funding for the Disproportionate Share Hospital program
· eliminating coverage for all children for 4 years
· eliminating all coverage for seniors for 2.5 years
Any cuts will also disproportionately hurt communities of color and women.
Medicaid cuts would impact one third of all Hispanic children, one third
of all African American children and more than one in three Native American
children who receive coverage through Medicaid. The cuts would also reduce
care for the one-third of all poor women who receive health care through
Medicaid.
ACT NOW – TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE
1. Call your Representatives and Senators and urge them to speak out against
Medicaid cuts and oppose any budget resolution that includes cuts to Medicaid.
2. Ask groups with whom you work – client groups, other community organizations
and leaders– to make calls.
3. Forward this email widely!
-- Mara K. Youdelman
Staff Attorney
National Health Law Program
1101 14th Street NW, Suite 405
Washington, DC 20005
youdelman@...
ph: (202) 289-7661
fax: (202) 289-7724
www.healthlaw.org
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