Medicaid Advocates:
Last night, the Senate officially left on recess. Once again, thank you so much for all of the work and effort that you put into the fight to protect Medicaid over past several months. We hope that you have had the time to celebrate this victory.
But as we know, the fight to protect Medicaid is not over. Cuts to Medicaid are proposed in the budget, a new healthcare bill could re-emerge, and cuts could be included in other legislation.
August recess is a critical time for advocacy in your state. Members of the House and Senate will be back home, and it is important for you to remain a presence and a force to be reckoned with! Here is what you can do:
· Set-up meetings with your members of Congress while they are home.
o Center for Public Representation’s www.protectourmedicaid.org website has a script and talking points here
o FamiliesUSA has a list of questions you can ask in your meeting here.
· Attend townhalls or other in state events.
o Lists of events available here and at https://townhallproject.com/
· Hold members accountable for their votes! If they voted No, thank them; if they voted yes, tell them to you are disappointed and that you hope they will not support any bills that cut Medicaid or rollback protections for people with pre-existing conditions. REMEMBER this applies to both the House and Senate!
o The Arc has a form to send a letter to your Senator here.
· For both Representatives and Senators, ask them to (1) drop their attempts at repeal of the ACA; (2) instead work together in a bi-partisan manner using the regular order for any needed healthcare solutions; and (3) take Medicaid out of the ACA conversation and oppose any bills that would cut or cap Medicaid.
o Talking points here.
· Write letters to the editor and op-eds for local newspapers. Here and here is some help to get you started.
· Continue to utilize social media as a tool.
· Educate your members of Congress about the Disability Integration Act and how it would help protect home and community based services. Ask them to co-sponsor it. For information on CCD’s support of the DIA, see here.
Bottom line, let’s use this recess to keep educating members of Congress about the importance of Medicaid to people with disabilities. Keep up the pressure, keep up the fight!
Thank you,
CCD Grassroots Team
Alison Barkoff, Center for Public Representation
Julia Bascom, Autistic Self Advocacy Network
Christine Grosso, Association for University Centers on Disabilities
Nicole Jorwic, The Arc of the United States
Vania Leveille, American Civil Liberties Union
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