Take action today! Contact Senate Finance Committee members about Medicaid Funding to States and Children’s Health Insurance!
Digg This!1) Medicaid Funding to States
Across the country, low-income women and families are facing potential state cuts to Medicaid funding as Governors cope with budget deficits. The federal government can help by temporarily increasing the amount of federal matching funds (known as FMAP) sent to states.
The Senate Finance Committee is convening TODAY to determine the funds allocated for FMAP. The committee is considering cutting back on the amount they originally had considered so please take a minute RIGHT NOW and urge members of the Committee to support at least $100 billion for FMAP!
Simply call and say “Our state needs enhanced FMAP funding. I urge you to commit at least $100 billion for FMAP.”
For contact information for Senate Finance Members, please go to the website link below, scroll down, click on the Senator’s name, call his/her office, and ask to speak to the HEALTH staff. http://www.congress.org/
2) Children’s Health Insurance that includes immigrant children
While you’re on the phone with the office of Senate Finance Committee members, urge swift action on the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, with an additional step to include legal immigrant children. SCHIP is the same program President Bush vetoed twice last year. This legislation expands health care for kids who are in working families that make too much to qualify for Medicaid, but who don’t make enough to afford private insurance.
It is anticipated that the House bill, which will include lifting the 5-year ban on health health care for documented immigrant children, will move quickly and pass. While hopeful, passage in the Senate will be more difficult. A major stumbling block is the Senate Finance Committee where there is disagreement over the issue of documented immigrant children.
According to our colleagues at NILC, under current law, legal immigrant children and pregnant women must wait five years before they become eligible for federally funded Medicaid and SCHIP. Americans believe this waiting period is wrong and want it eliminated. Congress can address this inequity by including the Legal Immigrant Children’s Health Improvement Act (ICHIA) in the 2009 SCHIP reauthorization bill. Moreover, in these difficult economic times, Congress should be finding ways to help America’s working families and states with tight budgets. ICHIA would provide fiscal relief to families as well as states and would be a key component of a strong health reform foundation. Congress needs to pass ICHIA now, and demonstrate its commitment to children and a health care system that works for all Americans.
Senate Finance Committee members and their positions on reauthorization of SCHIP including documented immigrant health care provision:
Supportive and will vote yes:
Jeff Bingaman, NM
John D. Rockefeller, WV
John Kerry, MA
Blanche Lincoln, AR
Charles E. Schumer, NY
Maria E. Cantwell, WA
Olympia Snowe, ME
Supportive in the past, no confirmation given this year:
Max Baucus, MT
Kent Conrad, ND
Ron Wyden, OR
Debbie Stabenow, MI
Position not yet determined:
Ken Salazar, CO
Jon Kyl, AZ
Jim Bunning, KY
Mike Crapo, ID
John Ensign, NV
John E. Sununu, NH
Will oppose the bill with documented immigrant health care provision included:
Chuck Grassley, IA
Orrin G. Hatch, UT
Pat Roberts, KS
Thanks to our colleagues at the National Health Law Program, Families USA, Community Catalyst and Faithful Reform for the information used in this alert!
