Action Needed:
The United States Senate will begin floor discussions of the Budget
Resolution today, Monday, March 14. Please urge your Senators to
oppose plans by George W. Bush and the Republican leadership in
Congress to cut funding for Medicaid:
http://www.now.org/congress/mail/oneclick_compose/?alertid=7206976
Medicaid is the single largest health care program in the U.S. and is
the only source of reproductive health care for millions of poor and
low income women. Women comprise 71% of adult Medicaid beneficiaries.
Bush claims that programs such as Medicaid need to be cut in order to
control spending and reduce the federal deficit—a deficit that he and
right wing Republicans created through their huge tax cuts for the
wealthy combined with the costs of the war in Iraq.
The Senate will be voting on the budget this week and an amendment
will be offered on the Senate floor by Senators Gordon Smith (R-Ore.)
and Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) to strike the Medicaid cuts from the Senate
budget resolution. This amendment has a good chance of passing,
especially if we let our Senators know that we value this important
and often life-saving health care program. Several moderate
Republicans have indicated that they think the cuts to Medicaid would
hurt vulnerable constituents and shift the cost burden to
budget-stressed states—and they especially need to hear from you
today.
Contact your Senators today:
http://www.now.org/congress/mail/oneclick_compose/?alertid=7206976
Background:
Medicaid is a critically important program which guarantees coverage
to all eligible adults and children. It is funded by both federal and
state governments and provides the only source of health care coverage
for 53 million poor and low-income people, including 38 million
low-income children and their parents along with 15 million seniors
and people with disabilities. Under Medicaid, some 16 million
low-income women are provided basic health care, reproductive health
services and coverage for long-term care. Women are 71% of all adult
beneficiaries of Medicaid.
Total Medicaid spending, including both federal and state outlays, is
projected to be $329 billion in 2005, accounting for 17 % of all U.S.
health care expenditures (2003), and a slightly larger amount than the
federal government pays for seniors’ Medicare program. From 2000 -
2003, because of the downturn in the economy and job losses, nine
million more people became eligible for Medicaid and costs accelerated
at double-digit rates.
However, Medicaid is quite efficient compared to private health
coverage, holding down per capita growth and maintaining
administration costs that are four to six percent of claims paid
compared to commercial health insurers’ costs of 15 to 20 percent of
claims paid, according to a study prepared for the National Governors’
Association.
Despite this great record of success and our still huge uninsured
population, leaders in Congress plan to cut federal funding for
Medicaid by an even larger amount that the President’s proposed $45
billion over the next ten years. These cuts also suggest structural
changes for Medicaid that would likely involve spending caps (without
regard to need) and a possible block-granting of funds to states so
that states will bear future cost increases. The effect of such
changes would be to shift more funding responsibilities to the
states—something that many fiscally-strapped states would have
difficulty managing. As a result, states would begin to eliminate
benefits or raise eligibility standards in order to throw thousands
off the rolls. The already huge number of uninsured—some 45
million—would undoubtedly begin to grow. Elderly disabled women who
depend upon Medicaid coverage to help pay for long term care services
may end up with no care. Many reproductive health care services could
be curtailed.
Medicaid covers a range of reproductive health care services
including: family planning, pap smears and other preventative
screening, pregnancy related care (prenatal, childbirth, postpartum),
and STD testing and treatment.
Send your message to Senators today:
http://www.now.org/congress/mail/oneclick_compose/?alertid=7206976
Resources:
Medicaid Under Attack: Women May Lose Vital Source of Health Care
Coverage
http://www.now.org/issues/legislat/031405medicaid.html
National Women’s Law Center’s analysis of the impact of the
President’s proposed budget on state Medicaid programs
http://www.nwlc.org/details.cfm?id=2171§ion=health
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities analysis of the Senate Budget
Committees proposal
http://www.cbpp.org/3-10-05bud.htm
