PI Action alerts & updates ... 2004

Do you want to keep Medicaid
as a guaranteed health program?

Do you live in California, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Hawaii, Louisiana, Rhode Island or West Virginia?
Then before you carve your turkey this week, please make an important phone call!

Senators Jeff Bingaman (D-New Mexico) and Patty Murray (D-Washington) are asking all Democrats in the Senate to sign a letter to President Bush that declares firm opposition to any Medicaid reform proposal that would put a cap on federal Medicaid spending and/or eliminate the current guarantee to Medicaid coverage. You can view the letter here [Word document].

There is great concern that the Bush Administration will attempt to make such changes in Medicaid as part of next year’s Budget Resolution process. The President has announced an expensive domestic agenda for next year, including tax and social security reform, and Medicaid is one of the few places to find money to pay for this agenda.

The Bingaman/Murray letter is intended to demonstrate strong opposition from Democratic Senators against such changes to Medicaid. It will be sent shortly, as the Bush Administration is already working on next year’s budget. A similar letter was sent last year, and signed by every Democrat in the Senate (except for Zell Miller).

OUR TARGETS:
As of Monday, November 22, all Senate Democrats have signed this letter except for the following:

Evan Bayh (Indiana),
Joe Biden (Delaware),
Robert Byrd (West Virginia),
Thomas Carper (Delaware),
Dianne Feinstein (California),
Daniel Inouye (Hawaii),
Mary Landrieu (Louisiana), and
Jack Reed (Rhode Island).
Incoming Senators Barack Obama (Illinois) and Ken Salazar (Colorado) are also being asked to sign.
If any of the above is your Senator, please take a few minutes this week and ask them to sign this important letter!

How you can help:
If you are a constituent of any of the Senators listed above, please call their D.C. office and ask to speak to the legislative aide who handles Medicaid and health issues. Whether you speak to that person live or leave a message, tell them:

Sample message:

“I’m a constituent of Senator _____________ and I urge him/her to sign the Bingaman/Murray letter against caps and block grants for Medicaid. President Bush needs to know that Medicaid is saving the lives of people living with AIDS and HIV and we need to send him that message now.”

Please note that this letter is for Democratic Senators only. If your Senator(s) is a Republican, you don’t need to contact them at this time.

Contact information:
You can reach your Senator toll-free by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 1-800-839-5276. Ask to be transferred to your Senator’s office.

If you live in Illinois, you can call Senator-elect Obama’s campaign office at 1-312-427-6300. If you live in Colorado, you can call Senator elect Salazar’s office at 1-303-300-2004. Tell whoever answers the phone about this letter and that incoming Senators are being asked to sign.

Thank you for taking the time to make a difference on this important issue! This is a crucial first step in fighting to make sure that Medicaid is a guaranteed safety net for those who need it.

The HIV Medicaid/Medicare Working Group is a national coalition of advocates working to protect and expand Medicaid and Medicare for people living with HIV/AIDS. For more information about the working group, please write to theaccessproject@aol.com.