Action Alert: Tell Senators Healthcare Reform Must Include Medicaid Parity for U.S. Territories!
Sens. Baucus and Grassley (seen above chatting), are two of the folks to contact
While the U.S. government covers at least 50 percent of the bill for states’ Medicaid funding, it caps the amount of Medicaid dollars it will give to U.S. territories. This discrepancy severely limits territories’ funding streams, and means that in Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa, only the poorest citizens qualify for Medicaid and people, including those living with HIV/AIDS and other diseases are the ones who suffer.
This situation is a particular blow to Puerto Rico, which is dealing with an HIV/AIDS crisis. Increasing Medicaid for Puerto Rico would be a major step forward in fighting the AIDS epidemic there. Insufficient Medicaid funds force many Puerto Ricans living with AIDS to rely on programs funded by the Ryan White Care Act. Ryan White has been notoriously mismanaged on the island, a situation that has resulted in a lack of access to AIDS medications through the Ryan White-funded AIDS Drugs Assistance Program (ADAP).
In 2008, the U.S. spent approximately $20 per Medicaid participant per month in Puerto Rico, compared to $330 per participant per month in the U.S. This alarming disparity is widely acknowledged: As a candidate, Obama stated his desire to “to continually raise the cap on federal contributions to Medicaid in Puerto Rico until it disappears.”
What to do
Call Senate finance members (who are largely the ones crafting healthcare reform legislation) and tell them the U.S. territories must have full Medicaid parity!
In the House of Representatives H.R. 2680 calls “to amend the Social Security Act to provide for payment parity for Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa under the Medicaid Program, and for other purposes.”
But in the Senate, where the territories don’t have even non-voting representation, there is no companion bill. Urge Senate finance committee members to include full healthcare parity for the U.S. territories in healthcare reform legislation, and improve the health of people in the territories.
Who to call
Max Baucus (D-MT) 202-224-2651
Chuck Grassley(R-IA) (202) 224-3744
Jeff Bingaman (D-NM) (202) 224-5521
Olympia Snowe (R-ME) (202) 224-5344
Kent Conrad (D-ND) (202) 224-2043
Mike Enzi (R-WY) (202) 224-3424
What to say
“My name is _____ and I’m calling to urge Sen. ______ to make sure health care reform legislation includes amending the Social Security Act to provide for payment parity for U.S. territories under the Medicaid Program, and for other purposes.”
Posted on August 13, 2009 at 10:10 pm
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