Hello,

 

As you have probably seen in the news, the Senate is moving forward with a plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act before they recess for the July 4^th. As I heard in a Hill meeting this week from a trusted colleague, this is a 10 alarm fire, not a fire drill!

 

Senate Process:
It is expected that there will be no Committee hearings or mark-up of the repeal and replacement bill. It appears the House bill will be introduced on the floor of the Senate for debate, and then most likely a full substitute will be offered by Republican leadership. The bill will probably not be available for viewing until about a day before a vote. The press is reporting it will be approximately 80 percent of the House bill. Portions of it have already been sent to the Congressional Budget Office to be scored. We were given a very clear message by Hill staff that we should not wait to mobilize constituents as we await the bill text. We have possibly less than 10 days to educate and inform Senators about the impact of the bill on persons with developmental disabilities!

 

Timing in Senate:
Although there is always the potential for this to slip into July, we need to be working with the timeline that a bill will debated and voted on in the Senate the week of June 26^th.

 

How You Can Help:

Have constituents visit the local offices, make calls to the D.C. offices, and send messages to Senators using social media. Every office can be reached at 202-224-3121. The most effective advocacy is people showing-up in-person or sending photos and a 2-3 paragraph story of how the ACA and/or Medicaid has helped them. Every Senate office needs to hear from constituents about why the ACA and Medicaid provide essential health care and other critical supports to people with disabilities and their families.

 

What to Tell Offices:

●     I am your constituent.

●     I am a person with a disability or I am a family member of someone with a disability or I am a professional in the disability field.

·         Do NOT repeal and replace the ACA without an open and transparent process that allows your constituents to weigh in on the final bill. The impact on my healthcare and life is too important!

●     Do NOT repeal the ACA without a replacement that maintains or improves coverage, benefits and protections.

●     Do NOT allow restructuring and cuts to Medicaid to be part of an ACA replacement.

●     The ACA and Medicaid has helped me/my family member to have health care and community-based services because it has provided...

Messages:
Message 1: Do NOT cut and cap Medicaid! 

Medicaid is a partnership between the federal and state governments with matching state and federal funds. Under a Medicaid per capita cap, the federal government would set a limit on how much to reimburse states based on enrollment in the Medicaid program. Unlike current law, funding would not be based on the actual cost of providing services. Much like the proposed block grants, the intent of the per capita caps is to restructure the program and save money for the federal government, which will inevitably lead to cuts in funding in the states. 

The negative impact for Medicaid recipients could include:

●      Losing home and community-based services and supports. Waiting lists will quickly grow.

●      Losing other critical services such as personal care, mental health, prescription drugs, and rehabilitative services.

●      Shifting the costs to individuals or family members to make up for the cuts in federal funding. The costs of providing health care and long term services and supports will not go away, but will be shifted to individuals, parents, states, and providers. 

Message 2: Do not repeal the Affordable Care Act!

The ACA is the most significant law for people with disabilities since the Americans with Disabilities Act:

●      Because of the ACA, health insurers cannot deny health insurance or charge higher premiums if you have a disability or chronic condition.

●      Because of the ACA, there are not arbitrary financial limits to how much health care you can get in a year or in your lifetime.

●      Because of the ACA, more people with disabilities and chronic health conditions are able to access health care due to the Medicaid expansion.

Resources:

·         ASAN’s toolkit on basic civic engagement for self-advocates

·         Center for Public Representation’s Medicaid website: https://medicaid.publicrep.org/ (Messaging, key states to target, and more…)

·         Consortium for Citizen’s with Disabilities Protect the ACA and Medicaid website: http://c-c-d.org/rubriques.php?rubpage=42

o   If you are leading efforts in your state and want to get emails directly from CCD’s Save Medicaid Grassroots Working Group, email Christine Grosso at xxxxxx@aucd.org