Justin Dart urged us to get into politics as if our lives depended on it.” Today, his words were never more true – or important! The lives and liberty of disabled Americans are on the line as the US Senate considers massive cuts to Medicaid. Join NCIL in the fight to protect Medicaid and fight for the lives and liberty of disabled Americans across the country!
TAKE ACTION:
The US Senate needs to hear from the Disability Community about the dangers of cutting $800 billion from Medicaid. We need YOU to call Senator Capito. Call the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and asking the operator to connect you.
Message
Say: “My name is (your full name). I am a constituent of Senator (name). I am disabled and I rely on Medicaid to live independently in my community. I am calling to ask Senator (name) to vote NO on any legislation that will cap and cut Medicaid and put healthcare out of reach for millions of Americans, including the upcoming ACA repeal bill. Senator (name) has a responsibility to fight for their constituents, and that includes those of us with disabilities and pre-existing conditions. People (like me/in the disability community) rely on Medicaid for our health and independence, and converting Medicaid to a per capita cap system would be detrimental to people with disabilities in (state). If this bill is passed, I risk losing access to services that I rely on to live in my community. This is unacceptable. This is an extremely important issue to the disability community, and we are following the Senator’s actions closely. I hope we can count on the Senator to do what’s right for people with disabilities in (state) and around the country!”
It is imperative that you call now, and then do it again tomorrow, and every day after that while this legislation is still active! The entire Disability Community is depending on you to make these calls and stop this legislation from moving forward.
BACKGROUND:
The Senate is planning to vote to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act before leaving for the 4th of July, which gives us just a couple of weeks to stop them. All efforts right now are critical! If a bill passes the Senate, Republicans’ dangerous idea of health care reform and their efforts to decimate Medicaid will become a reality. We need to stop this. Our lives are on the line.
Just like the House did last month, the Senate is working hastily and in secrecy on their version of Affordable Care Act (ACA) repeal and replace. While the exact changes to the House’s American Health Care Act (AHCA) are not certain, we do know that the changes being discussed in the Senate are minor and the two plans will share far more in common than not. The Senate is still on track to cut over $800 billion from Medicaid, make people pay more for healthcare while providing less coverage.
The outcome of this vote will likely come down to one or two key Senators, so we need to do everything we can to get those “NO” votes.
This is a targeted alert. For more information on NCIL’s overall strategy, go to:
http://www.advocacymonitor.com/urgent-act-now-to-protect-healthcare/
With attacks coming at the Disability Community from all sides, we need our voice to be heard more than ever. Please consider becoming a NCIL member. More information on membership is available at: http://www.ncil.org/ncil-membership/
Finally, thank you for taking action to save Medicaid!
Kelly Buckland
NCIL Executive Director
Lou Ann Kibbee
NCIL President
Bruce Darling
NCIL Vice President
