PI Action alerts & updates ... 2005

U.S. Senate Rejects Medicaid Cuts!

Thank you for making a difference!

Last week, we had one of our biggest legislative victories in a very long time. On Thursday, March 17, the U.S. Senate voted 52–48 for an amendment that removes all Medicaid cuts from the Budget Resolution. This amendment was authored by Senators Gordon Smith (R-OR) and Jeff Bingaman (D-NM).

Seven Republican Senators joined all Democrats and one Independent in voting yes (see list below). The amendment also reserves funding for a bipartisan Medicaid commission that will study and make recommendations for reforms to the program.

The battle to protect Medicaid is far from over. The House and Senate will need to negotiate a final Budget Resolution, and Medicaid cuts could be put back on the table. There will also be continuing pressure from the Bush Administration and leadership in Congress to reduce spending for this program as part of efforts to reduce the budget deficit.

However, the bipartisan support for this amendment was a clear result of massive grassroots mobilizing around the country. We have learned that thousands of phone calls to Congress were made through a toll-free number provided by Families USA (a leading national healthcare advocacy organization). This was the phone number listed in the Alert we sent last week asking you to make a call.

We want to thank everyone who called their Senators in support of this amendment and to let you know that your efforts made a difference!

We also want to encourage you to thank your Senator(s) if they voted YES. Too often, we forget to let our elected officials know when they’ve done the right thing. Many of them faced pressure to vote against this amendment, and a round of thank you calls from their constituents will help ensure their continued support for this lifesaving program.

What you can do:
Check the list below and see if one or both of your Senators voted YES on this amendment. If so, call their Washington, DC offices and tell whoever answers the phone:

“I am a constituent, and I am calling to thank Senator ___________ for voting yes on the Smith-Bingaman amendment that removed Medicaid cuts from the budget resolution. I thank the Senator for protecting healthcare for the nation’s most vulnerable people and I encourage him/her to continue to oppose any cuts to this program.”

You can call your Senators toll-free at 1-877-762-8762. You’ll need to know the names of your Senators and Representative when calling the Congressional switchboard. Ask to be connected to their offices. If you need help finding their names, go to www.vote-smart.org.

Senators Who Voted YES on Smith-Bingaman Amendment:
Akaka (D-HI)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Biden (D-DE)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Byrd (D-WV)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Carper (D-DE)
Chafee (R-RI)
Clinton (D-NY)
Coleman (R-MN)
Collins (R-ME)
Conrad (D-ND)
Corzine (D-NJ)
Dayton (D-MN)
DeWine (R-OH)
Dodd (D-CT)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Harkin (D-IA)
Inouye (D-HI)
Jeffords (I-VT)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Kohl (D-WI)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Lieberman (D-CT)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murray (D-WA)
Nelson, Ben (D-NE)
Nelson, Bill (D-FL)
Obama (D-IL)
Pryor (D-AR)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Salazar (D-CO)
Sarbanes (D-MD)
Schumer (D-NY)
Smith (R-OR)
Snowe (R-ME)
Specter (R-PA)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Wyden