Tag Archives: United States federal budget

Tell Your Members of Congress to Protect Medicaid


National Women's Law Center - Don't Discount Women: Demand Fair Change Not Spare Change
 
 
     
  Tell Your Members  
     
   
     
  Urge your Members of Congress to reject Medicaid cuts, in any form. Call 1-866-922-4970 today!  
     
  Take Action  
     

 

“The Medicaid program for the poor is facing significant cuts in an emerging bipartisan budget deal as Republicans seek to shrink entitlements and Democrats protect other priorities.”Wall Street Journal, June 16, 2011

You’re probably reading in the papers about the ongoing budget debates. Many people are talking about the importance of Medicare and why securing it is critical for elderly individuals. Often ignored in these discussions is Medicaid — the equally vital program for individuals who are elderly, live with disabilities, and economically vulnerable parents — which is at serious risk.

Call 1-866-922-4970 and tell your Members of Congress to preserve Medicaid by rejecting any proposals to cut or restructure this vital program.

Cutting Medicaid would be devastating for women and their families, including many of the same women who also depend on Medicare. Women are more likely to be low-income than men. They also are more likely to hold low-wage or part-time jobs that don’t offer employer-sponsored health insurance. As a result, they comprise more than two-thirds of the adults who receive Medicaid. For many women, Medicaid may be their only source of health coverage, and the current threats to Medicaid will harm women disproportionately. And despite the political rhetoric, cuts to this vital program will not save money. They will just shift costs from the federal government to states, localities and providers, while increasing the burden on seniors who depend on the program for long-term care, people with disabilities, and children and their families.

Don’t let irresponsible cuts to the federal budget harm the most vulnerable women. Call 1-866-922-4970 and urge your Members of Congress to reject Medicaid cuts, in any form.

Besides the danger to Medicaid, the budget passed by the House of Representatives earlier this year and other proposals pending in Congress threaten many additional programs critical to women and their families. Funding for food stamps, child care, Head Start, K-12 education, Pell grants, family planning, domestic violence prevention, and much, much more are at risk.

Your voice will be vital in helping us keep these services safe for women and their families — join us and Demand Fair Change, Not Spare Change.

Sincerely,

 
Judy Waxman   Judy Waxman
Vice President for Health and Reproductive Rights
National Women’s Law Center
 

P.S. Want to know how threats to Medicaid would affect women in your state? Check out our state-by-state Medicaid fact sheets.

Tell Congress: Support a small investment with big returns


In today’s charged political climate, every decision made by Congress faces increased scrutiny. Right now, our new Congress is under pressure to reduce the growing federal deficit. Congress, currently operating on 2010 funding levels, is poised to vote on the 2011 Federal Budget as early as this week. One of the proposals up for discussion suggests returning federal funding to fiscal year 2008 levels. If this proposal passes, it is very likely that the U.S. foreign aid budget will face significant cuts, perhaps up to 21 percent. We must act now to tell Congress not to cut the foreign aid budget.

As a global humanitarian organization working in 70 countries around the world, CARE knows firsthand how critical U.S. foreign assistance programs are to building a stable and secure world. Supporting these programs is not only the right thing to do – it is a practical and smart investment in global stability.

There is a common misconception about how much of the U.S. federal budget is spent on foreign aid. And for that matter, what Americans think we should spend on foreign aid. The reality is that the foreign aid budget represents only 1 percent of the federal budget. You can see why a 21 percent slash would be tremendously detrimental.

Take action today by telling your member of Congress that you support smart deficit reduction, but not harmful cuts to foreign assistance! Congress could vote as soon as Wednesday!

Then, continue the conversation in person at the CARE Conference & International Women’s Day Celebration on March 8-10. To find out more about how you can join us to speak out on behalf poor women and girls – and register today – please visit http://www.careconference.org.

Thank you for your efforts! Your voice is critical to saving programs that help millions of people struggling with poverty around the world.

Sincerely,

Helene D. Gayle, MD, MPH

President and CEO, CARE