From our friends at Medicaid MattersNY:
Coalition members,
This message from FamiliesUSA is marked “urgent.” We must keep up our efforts to help fight threats to Medicaid being proposed in Washington.
Here is the what you can do to take part:
- Quickly send a simple message to your own member of Congress: “No cuts to Medicaid!”
- Share your own personal story about what Medicaid means for you, your family, and your community.
- Let your friends, family, colleagues, and others know what is happening, and then share our action alert with them so they can send their own message.
Read below for more information and additional activities to take part in. Thank you in advance for taking action to protect Medicaid!
Dear State Partners,
Earlier today, House Republicans released their proposed budget resolution, calling for the House Energy and Commerce Committee to cut nearly $900 billion in spending.
Let’s be clear: there is no way for the committee to make budget cuts that deep without slashing the Medicaid program. This is an urgent moment for our collective advocacy.
Families USA released a statement today, which can be viewed in full by clicking the link below.
This budget resolution is a five-alarm fire alert for our health care . . . We don’t need to know the mechanisms of how Medicaid would be cut to know the impact would be catastrophic: the sheer size of the proposed cuts means millions of Americans losing coverage, hospitals and clinics plunged into budget shortfalls, and health care services we all depend on being eliminated . . . Policymakers should use their power now to tell their colleagues to reject a budget that cuts the health care of their own constituents and communities to fund tax breaks for the wealthiest.
The budget committee is going to try to pass a bill tomorrow, and with the House out next week, a floor vote is expected on the week of February 24th. That means we need to get active, NOW. Key actions you can take:
- While Members are in-district, we encourage you to use this opportunity for pressure and advocacy. There are 10 days from Saturday 2/15 through Monday 2/24, so we want to be sure that they count and that they hear from us while they are home: No cuts to health care to pay for tax cuts for the wealthy!
- Continue calling, emailing, and engaging with your Congressional delegation, using the budget resolution as a new reason to do so. The feedback you all have heard and shared with us so far is incredibly valuable – and state advocates have a powerful voice in this fight! If you already heard from your Member of Congress that they were going to protect Medicaid, now is the time to double back to them and ask them to speak out against this proposal.
- Continue getting the word out to your own networks about the budget resolution and the $880 billion in funding cuts that have been released.
- You can share Families USA’s email form to send a message to Congress, which over 500 advocates have used in the last week alone.
- Join our upcoming Big Tent call (February 18, 4:30-5pm ET), where we will discuss this Medicaid update and speak with other advocates. If you would like to join the Big Tent calls and do not have the calendar invite, please reply to this email.
Thank you all for your commitment and advocacy. Please stay in touch with us about ways we can support you!
Best,
Simon