Proposed Medicaid Cuts

If you have been listening to the news at all lately, you are aware that various proposals are circulating to reduce spending in the federal budget. One of the areas that is under consideration is Medicaid. This is the federal program that supports the health care of women and children, and the program that funds home and community-based supports for people with disabilities. In Georgia, 288,700 people with disabilities receive health care through Medicaid, and 30,600 receive home and community based supports that are funded through the Medicaid program.

And, let our congressman know that we will not support reductions in the services that support our family members to live in the community and to have adequate health care coverage. The links below provide the contact information for Georgia’s senators and representatives. A brief message follows. Let them know you are paying attention!

To identify your Senators, click on your state at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

To identify your Congressman/woman, go to http://www.house.gov/ and enter your zip code. Some districts require a 9 digit zip code, which you can find at https://tools.usps.com/go/ZipLookupAction!input.actionhttps://tools.usps.com/go/ZipLookupAction!input.action

The message is simple:
* Identify yourself and your home town, so the staffer you speak with will know you are a constituent who has the power to vote in your state/district.
* Tell the staff person how essential Medicaid is for people with developmental and other disabilities. Add that it is cost effective to provide home and community-based services rather than pay for people to live in a nursing home or other institution. There are better ways to balance the budget.

Please post a comment and let us know your thoughts on this topic.