ACA/Medicaid Advocates - Call to Action

GCDD wants to keep you updated on what is happening with the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid, issues that are currently being discussed in the federal government. Below is information from GCDD and our partners and how you can participate and advocate.

Read GCDD's Statement of Concern on AHCA: The Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities issued this statement of serious concern with the vote on the American Health Care Act (AHCA) that passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 217-213 on Thursday, May 4, 2017. Click here to view the statement of concern.

CONGRESS IS TRYING TO CUT MEDICAID – ACT NOW!

To download a flyer with more detailed information on the cuts to Medicaid, click here.Tell your story to the four policymakers listed below. Educate them on how you use Medicaid. What would happen to you or your loved one if your Medicaid was cut/reduced or eliminated completely? Contact these Policymakers with your Questions!

US Senator Johnny Isakson 202-224-3643
US Senator David Perdue 202-224-3521
Your US Representative in the House: www.govtrack.us
Governor Nathan Deal: 404-656-1776

Ask each policymaker a question like:

How much money will Georgia lose under this proposal now or in future years?
How will my supports or my program be changed?
How can you guarantee my level of services won’t change?
How will Georgia be able to support the same number of people and offer the same services as it does today if it gets less federal money?
Could Georgia decide to take away some services, like supports in the community, since they are optional under the 1915c Home and Community Based Services waiver?
What will you do for Georgians that lose care?

If your policymaker does not know the answer to your questions, ask them to find out the answers. You can say you will call them back later.

Save Medicaid: Call & Educate Senator Isakson & Perdue Today!

Advocates, thank you to everyone that participated in last Tuesday's "Don't Cap Our Care" Day.

The work has only just begun though. We are hearing from our partners in Washington DC that the Senate is moving quickly to draft and vote. We believe the Senate will be voting on the American Health Care Act (AHCA) this month!

While we don't know specifics, we are hearing it may have very similar cuts to Medicaid. The next few weeks are critical for you to raise your voice.

Many people get nervous and don't know what to say to the Senator's staff when they go for in-person meetings or call on the phone. Remember though, all you have to do is share your story and YOU are the expert on YOUR STORY.

Click here to get contact info and sample scripts.

No Cuts! No Caps! #SaveMedicaid – June 6

The new American Health Care Act (AHCA) guts over $800 billion from Medicaid. The proposed per capita caps and cuts will have devastating and deadly consequences for people w/disabilities & seniors. Join us to educate Congress about what cuts and caps REALLY means.Next Tuesday is "Don't Cap Our Care" day where rallies will be held across the country to oppose Medicaid cuts and per capita caps. Please join us to fight to save Medicaid funding.

Join Us at these Georgia Events!

June 5th - Noon to 2 pm - Sign Making Party
Frazer Center - 1815 S Ponce de Leon Ave NE - Atlanta GA 30307
Join people in the Atlanta disability community at the Frazer Center to make signs to save our Medicaid! Along with sign making, Frazer staff will be discussing the importance of Medicaid waiver services and self advocacy with those attending.

June 6th - 10:30 am to Noon - Don't Cap My Care Medicaid Rally!
3625 Cumberland Blvd SE - Atlanta, GA 30339
Join us as we stand up to defend Georgia Medicaid services from cuts and caps! We will gather outside Senator Isakson's Atlanta office to rally for Medicaid. A portable PA system will be on hand to share your Medicaid stories with the crowd.

Participate in the Day of Action Social Media Campaign!
Click here to download the Day of Action Toolkit with social media tips, info and graphics.

Don't Cap My Care Medicaid Day – June 6

We continue to hear reports from the Hill that the Senate is taking their constituents' temperature on healthcare reform while they are home on recess this week. It is critical to make your voice heard that Medicaid matters and that cuts and caps are unacceptable.

Planning for DC-based and state activities for June 6th Don't Cap My Care Medicaid Day is underway by the Center for Public Representation. For anyone in the DC area or willing to come, they have a Facebook event and website, with the details. Please share widely.

If you are interested in planning an event in Georgia, please contact:
Dawn Hawkins Johnson
Director of Adult Programs, Frazer Center
1815 S. Ponce de Leon Ave. N.E., Atlanta, Georgia 30307
office: 404.377.3836 ext.120, fax: 404.373.0058, www.frazercenter.org

Town hall events across the country can be found here: https://townhallproject.com/

Latest Update on the Repeal of ACA - Call Now

Posted May 30, 2017
On May 4, the US House of Representatives passed the American Health Care Act (AHCA) by a narrow margin of 217-213. GCDD issued a statement of concern given the fact that this bill, among other things, proposes cuts to Medicaid of $880 billion, a program that many people with disabilities rely on for healthcare and home and community based services to allow them to live independently in the community.

The US Senate is now working on this bill so it is time to educate Georgia Senators Isakson and Perdue about how important Medicaid is to people with disabilities.

Call your Senators today and tell them YOUR Medicaid story and share your concerns.
Use #IamMedicaid in your tweets.

US Senator David Perdue
Email: https://www.perdue.senate.gov/connect/email
DC Office Tel: (202) 224-3521
Atlanta Office Tel: (404) 865-0087
@sendavidperdue

US Senator Johnny Isakson
Email: https://www.isakson.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/email-me
DC Office Tel: (202) 224-3643
Atlanta Office Tel: (770) 661-0999
@SenatorIsakson

Key Messages:

I am your constituent from (city), Georgia.
I vote (if you are a voter). Your decisions that impact people with disabilities matter to me.
Do NOT allow Medicaid to be gutted. Caps and block grants would decimate the program on which people with disabilities and seniors rely for critical healthcare and community services.
Cuts to community based services will force many people with disabilities into institutional care. As you know, institutionalization is much more expensive than living in the community. People with disabilities want to live in their community -let's make sure we can.

President’s Budget Release: On May 23, 2018, President Trump released his budget proposal for the federal fiscal year 2018. Unfortunately, it decimates many safety net programs on which so many people with disabilities rely. It also proposes to combine State Councils on Developmental Disabilities with the State Grants component of the Independent Living programs, and the State Implementation Partnership Grants component of the Traumatic Brain Injury program and significantly reduces funding for all three programs. The Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities will continue to work in a bipartisan manner to ensure that State DD Councils, and hence GCDD, can continue the good work we do for people with disabilities and their families.

More Resources:

Join the Fight to Protect Medicaid now!

These next few days it is very critical that people speak up on the federal level and continue to do so on the importance of protecting Medicaid and Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) for people with disabilities.

10 million Americans with disabilities are at risk of losing the services that enable them to live and participate in the community.

Check out this informative website, http://medicaid.publicrep.org/ to join the fight!

Click here to see the Georgia specific action page.

GCDD Webinar on Federal Health Care Changes

We know that for many Georgians with disabilities, Medicaid is the lifeline through which services are delivered. Without these services, Georgians with disabilities would not be able to live full and integrated lives in the community. Phrases like Per Capita Caps, Block Grants, and Repealing the Affordable Care Act have been popping up in conversation, but no one ever takes the time to define them. No one takes the time to talk about what these big changes might mean for Georgians with disabilities.

In Georgia, Medicaid is also known as the NOW waiver, the Comp waiver, Independent Care Waiver Program (ICWP), Community Care Services Program (CCSP), SOURCE, and the Katie Beckett waiver. That means if you, or your loved one, receive these services or are waiting for these services, then any kind of change to Medicaid impacts you.

We are hoping to help. GCDD hosted a webinar, with Allison Barkoff of the Center for Public Representation in Washington DC as the main presenter, to help answer many of the questions you have regarding these changes. We here at GCDD have some very serious concerns about how these changes will impact Georgians with disabilities and we want to share them with you.

Cover of GCDD Webinar

Threats to Medicaid and Healthcare Protections: How
People with Disabilities Could Be Impacted and What You Can Do
Alison Barkoff, Director of Advocacy
Center for Public Representation

Click here to download a PDF of the powerpoint presentation.
Click here to download a PDF of the transcript of the webinar.
Click here to listen to the audio transcript of the presentation.

SAVEMedicaid

Latest Action Items from
the Consortium for Citizens
with Disabilities (CCD)

• Continue to Tweet, Facebook and call your Member of Congress

Telll them NOT to cut services provided under Medicaid
Make it personal – tell your story
See sample tweets in the CCD toolkit
Call (202) 224-3121 or (202) 456-1111 (see what to say in CCD toolkit)

• Share updated CCD Medicaid Action Items Toolkit

Remember – we need your help in getting this out to the disability and aging grassroots in your state. Please get this information out to your state networks! We need to get everyone engaged this week to make sure Congress understands how important Medicaid is and what the ACA repeal bill would do to people with disabilities, seniors, children, and low income Americans.

Thank you from the CCD Grassroots Committee,

Alison Barkoff, Center for Public Representation ()
Christine Grosso, Association of University Centers on Disabilities ()
Nicole Jorwic, The Arc of the United States ()
Vania Leveille, ACLU ()

Click here to link to Save MedicaidClick here to link to Save Medicaid

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