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ALERT
© Child Welfare League of America. The content of these publications may not be reproduced in any way, including posting on the Internet, without the permission of CWLA. For permission to use material from CWLA's website or publications, contact us using our website assistance form.
June 3, 2003
Immediate Action Needed
Urgent Call to your Governor Needed to Protect Medicaid
Vote NO to Medicaid Funding Cap/NO to Medicaid Block Grant!
The National Governors Association (NGA) is on the brink of endorsing a proposal that essentially would transform the Medicaid program into a block grant. NGA's Medicaid Task Force is developing a proposal for Congress to give governors more flexibility in the Medicaid program by capping funding and block granting the program. If the NGA endorses this proposal that calls for radical changes, it would give those in Congress who support block granting Medicaid the opportunity to destroy the Medicaid program as we know it, thereby dramatically reducing services for children and their families. The stakes couldn't be higher, and the time couldn't be shorter. We must do everything we can to prevent this proposed change from occurring.
BACKGROUND:
The NGA's Medicaid Task Force was established to respond to the Administration's proposal to provide states with the option to accept a block grant for Medicaid and to cap its funding. The governors want to have considerable discretion to cut eligibility and benefits for millions of Medicaid beneficiaries, including millions of children enrolled in the program. In exchange for this flexibility, the governors are considering accepting federal funding caps that could have devastating consequences for the children, elderly, and people with disabilities that depend on Medicaid as the source of their essential health care. In addition, this flexibility could also impose substantial cost-sharing requirements on people enrolled in Medicaid, as well as additional financial burdens on local communities.
The NGA's Task Force writing the proposal is comprised of five Republican governors and five Democratic governors from KY, ID, FL, IN, CT, IA, MD, MO, ND, and NM. The NGA's Task Force is expected to vote as early as this week to approve this proposal. All governors will then vote on whether to support a cap on the federal funding for Medicaid by JUNE 10. A two-thirds majority vote by the full NGA is needed for passage.
IMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED:
CALL YOUR GOVERNOR. Urge him or her to oppose any NGA proposal that would impose a federal funding cap on Medicaid. A cap on federal funding on Medicaid would hurt beneficiaries. Millions of children could lose their comprehensive Medicaid benefits package and face unaffordable cost-sharing because of federal funding limits.
To contact your governor, visit the NGA website
For more information, contact Barbara Allen, CWLA Senior Government Affairs Associate, at 202/639-4924 or ballen@cwla.org.
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