Get involved in Cover the Uninsured Week (March 14-20) and join hundreds of other Americans working to help make health coverage for the uninsured a top priority. Here are a few ways you can get involved:
Distribute information about available low-cost and free health coverage programs to uninsured individuals and families.
Host a health or enrollment fair (pdf) to connect uninsured and underinsured community members with needed services.
Reach out to the media (pdf) by writing a letter to the editor or op-ed about Cover the Uninsured Week.
Follow Cover the Uninsured on Twitter.
Register Your EventTell your community what you are doing and build attendance by registering your events on the CoverTheUninsured.org Web site. If you are planning an event, take a look at the Cover the Uninsured events policy.Free Materials AvailableBookmarks, stickers and information cards are available in both English and Spanish. Great as handouts at events, these materials help spread the word about Cover the Uninsured and the importance of finding solutions for America’s uninsured. Place your order today. Thank you for supporting Cover the Uninsured Week. Let's Get America Covered!
Showing posts with label Uninsured. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Uninsured. Show all posts
Friday, March 12, 2010
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Advocate Children's Health Insurance
Please join a national sign-on letter regarding the harmful Medicaid regulations adopted by CMS and the efforts to get Congress to stop them.
If you would like to join the national letter (and it’s always good to have the State well-represented), do the following:
To sign your organization onto the letter to the Hill, please contact Varina Winder at the Alliance for Children and Families at mailto:vwinder@alliance1.org?subject=State%2FLocal%20Medicaid%20Regs%20Sign-on. Please send your name, organization (as it should be listed), address including state, phone number, and email address. The deadline for signing is close of business on Friday, March 14.
If you would like to join the national letter (and it’s always good to have the State well-represented), do the following:
To sign your organization onto the letter to the Hill, please contact Varina Winder at the Alliance for Children and Families at mailto:vwinder@alliance1.org?subject=State%2FLocal%20Medicaid%20Regs%20Sign-on. Please send your name, organization (as it should be listed), address including state, phone number, and email address. The deadline for signing is close of business on Friday, March 14.
Monday, February 18, 2008
2008 CINCH Cover the Uninsured Event
Reaching the Uninsured: Story of Community
SAVE THE DATE – May 1st – 10:00 am to 11:30 am
Join CINCH for the unveiling of a video and still picture documentary of the families impacted by FAMIS and the story of our local community efforts in Hampton Roads to reach these families. The event will take place at the Commodore Theater in Portsmouth. RSVP is required. For more information or to RSVP contact CINCH@evms.edu or Carol Jones at 668-6472.
For more information on Cover the Uninsured Week visit: www.covertheuninsured.org
To hear the story of a local family helped by CINCH's Project Connect featured nationally on the CTU website: http://covertheuninsured.org/stories/index.php?StoryID=58
To see last pictures from last year's gallery: http://pediatrics.evms.edu/famisfaces.htm
Thursday, November 29, 2007
CINCH Needs Your Help - 2007 Salvation Army Toy Drive
For the past 3 years, CINCH has partnered with the Salvation Army Toy Drive to provide screening for health insurance for the many children who will be receiving toys from the drive. We’ve enrolled hundreds of children in FAMIS from this partnership outreach over the past 3 years, and screened over 30,000 families. Many of you have volunteered in years past – thank you! We are asking CINCH members and partners to volunteer for one (or more!) three hour shift.
CINCH invites YOU to volunteer during the 2007 Salvation Army’s Toy Drive. No prior experience is needed. All you need is a smiling face and willing heart!
WHAT:Volunteers (YOU!) will ask families standing in line if their children have health insurance or not, hand out materials and complete a brief referral form with the parents of children who need health insurance that would like assistance. They will then direct the family to the “right” location at the Toy Drive to get their assistance. CINCH will have one lead person on hand to orient volunteers on site. We need 2 volunteers on weekdays, and 4 volunteers on Friday/Saturday, as these are the highest volume days.
WHEN:Fri. 12/14 and Sat. 12/15; Mon. 12/17 thru Sat. 12/22
WHERE:4725 Virginia Beach Blvd. (former HQ bldg. in Pembroke area)
The volunteer time schedule is set in 3 hr. blocks. 9 am -12 pm (noon)
and 1 pm -4 pm. If you cannot spend three hours at a time, any amount of participation will be appreciated and we’ll work you into the schedule.
We will need at least 4 volunteers on Friday and Saturday. One person will be designated as a lead person. That person will be able to answer your questions and keep the staffing record.
Training information will be provided as requested. Contact us at 668-6447 to get an overview of the activity and information as well as the toy drive procedure. Materials will be provided: referral forms, brochures, clipboards, pens, etc.
Contact P. Smith at 668-6447 or email at smithpe@evms.edu
CINCH invites YOU to volunteer during the 2007 Salvation Army’s Toy Drive. No prior experience is needed. All you need is a smiling face and willing heart!
WHAT:Volunteers (YOU!) will ask families standing in line if their children have health insurance or not, hand out materials and complete a brief referral form with the parents of children who need health insurance that would like assistance. They will then direct the family to the “right” location at the Toy Drive to get their assistance. CINCH will have one lead person on hand to orient volunteers on site. We need 2 volunteers on weekdays, and 4 volunteers on Friday/Saturday, as these are the highest volume days.
WHEN:Fri. 12/14 and Sat. 12/15; Mon. 12/17 thru Sat. 12/22
WHERE:4725 Virginia Beach Blvd. (former HQ bldg. in Pembroke area)
The volunteer time schedule is set in 3 hr. blocks. 9 am -12 pm (noon)
and 1 pm -4 pm. If you cannot spend three hours at a time, any amount of participation will be appreciated and we’ll work you into the schedule.
We will need at least 4 volunteers on Friday and Saturday. One person will be designated as a lead person. That person will be able to answer your questions and keep the staffing record.
Training information will be provided as requested. Contact us at 668-6447 to get an overview of the activity and information as well as the toy drive procedure. Materials will be provided: referral forms, brochures, clipboards, pens, etc.
Contact P. Smith at 668-6447 or email at smithpe@evms.edu
Friday, October 12, 2007
Sign Letter to Congress for Children's Health and Human Needs by Oct. 15!
Sign Letter to Congress for Children's Health and Human Needs by Oct. 15!
If you represent a statewide or local VA group*: Please tell your Members of Congress to cover uninsured children and to fund human needs.
The President has vetoed the children's health insurance bill and has threatened to veto appropriations bills that fund critical human needs programs. The House will vote to override the President's State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) veto on October 18.
Please sign your organization's name to this letter by Monday, October 15 - to show your Congressional delegation how important it is that they
- vote to override the President's children's health veto;
- vote for vital health, education, nutrition, housing, and other social services programs and reject appropriations vetoes.
Click here to read the letter, to sign it, and/or to get more information:
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/125/t/3748/event/index.jsp?event_KEY=31692
If you represent a statewide or local VA group*: Please tell your Members of Congress to cover uninsured children and to fund human needs.
The President has vetoed the children's health insurance bill and has threatened to veto appropriations bills that fund critical human needs programs. The House will vote to override the President's State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) veto on October 18.
Please sign your organization's name to this letter by Monday, October 15 - to show your Congressional delegation how important it is that they
- vote to override the President's children's health veto;
- vote for vital health, education, nutrition, housing, and other social services programs and reject appropriations vetoes.
Click here to read the letter, to sign it, and/or to get more information:
http://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/125/t/3748/event/index.jsp?event_KEY=31692
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Impact of Medicaid Citizenship and Identity Requirements
We thought our members might be interested in the follow information and links to reports:
SUBJECT: Impact of Medicaid Citizenship and Identity Requirements
The following acronyms are used in this broadcast:
DMAS –Department of Medical Assistance Services
LDSS – Local Departments of Social Services
One year after the implementation of the federal Medicaid rule requiring documentation of United States citizenship and identification as a requirement for Medicaid eligibility, it appears that the rule has had the unintended consequence of creating barriers to Medicaid enrollment for eligible United States citizens. Proponents of the citizenship and identity requirement had originally believed that these requirements would prevent or limit non-citizens of the United States from accessing public financial assistance for medical services.
Reports from the states as well as the federal Government Accountability Office (GAO) indicate that Medicaid enrollment has declined dramatically nationwide due to the requirement, as apparently eligible individuals continue to experience difficulties securing needed documentation. In addition, many states that had initiated simplified Medicaid enrollment processes, such as encouraging the use of mail-in applications, find that these simplification procedures are no longer as effective. The requirement to provide original documentation of citizenship and identity has led to a significant increase in the numbers of individuals making apersonal visit to their local departments of social services.
The Department of Medical Assistance Services recently attributed a decrease in the enrollment of children in Virginia’s FAMIS PLUS and SCHIP Medicaid Expansion to the citizenship and identity requirements. Between July 1, 2006 (the implementation date of the new documentation requirements) and June 30, 2007, the program experienced a net reduction of 9,527 children. Enrollment of children in FAMIS, which is not currently impacted by the citizenship and identity requirements, is reported to have increased by 3,818 children during that same time period.
The Virginia Health Care Foundation (VHCF) has published a report on the impact of these new requirements entitled, “Unintended Consequences: The Impact of New Medicaid Citizenship Documentation Requirements on Virginia’s Children.” Parents surveyed for the report cited an approximate four month delay in obtaining Medicaid benefits for their children due to the barriers created by the citizenship and identity requirements. Parents also reported increased use of hospital emergency rooms for their children’s health care during that time. A survey taken by VHCF of parents who had applied for Medicaid for their children reported that 65% of noninsured children with a pending Medicaid application had some type of health care need that required medical attention while waiting to be enrolled in Medicaid.
The VHCF Report and the GAO Report can be found at the following websites:
http://www.vhcf.org/ and http://www.gao.gov/, respectively.
You can help by relaying the impact of the citizenship and identity requirements and can be an important resource to their local governing bodies and public officials as dialogue continues within Virginia communities regarding individuals’ access to government services. We encourage you to share this information with your local government officials.
SUBJECT: Impact of Medicaid Citizenship and Identity Requirements
The following acronyms are used in this broadcast:
DMAS –Department of Medical Assistance Services
LDSS – Local Departments of Social Services
One year after the implementation of the federal Medicaid rule requiring documentation of United States citizenship and identification as a requirement for Medicaid eligibility, it appears that the rule has had the unintended consequence of creating barriers to Medicaid enrollment for eligible United States citizens. Proponents of the citizenship and identity requirement had originally believed that these requirements would prevent or limit non-citizens of the United States from accessing public financial assistance for medical services.
Reports from the states as well as the federal Government Accountability Office (GAO) indicate that Medicaid enrollment has declined dramatically nationwide due to the requirement, as apparently eligible individuals continue to experience difficulties securing needed documentation. In addition, many states that had initiated simplified Medicaid enrollment processes, such as encouraging the use of mail-in applications, find that these simplification procedures are no longer as effective. The requirement to provide original documentation of citizenship and identity has led to a significant increase in the numbers of individuals making apersonal visit to their local departments of social services.
The Department of Medical Assistance Services recently attributed a decrease in the enrollment of children in Virginia’s FAMIS PLUS and SCHIP Medicaid Expansion to the citizenship and identity requirements. Between July 1, 2006 (the implementation date of the new documentation requirements) and June 30, 2007, the program experienced a net reduction of 9,527 children. Enrollment of children in FAMIS, which is not currently impacted by the citizenship and identity requirements, is reported to have increased by 3,818 children during that same time period.
The Virginia Health Care Foundation (VHCF) has published a report on the impact of these new requirements entitled, “Unintended Consequences: The Impact of New Medicaid Citizenship Documentation Requirements on Virginia’s Children.” Parents surveyed for the report cited an approximate four month delay in obtaining Medicaid benefits for their children due to the barriers created by the citizenship and identity requirements. Parents also reported increased use of hospital emergency rooms for their children’s health care during that time. A survey taken by VHCF of parents who had applied for Medicaid for their children reported that 65% of noninsured children with a pending Medicaid application had some type of health care need that required medical attention while waiting to be enrolled in Medicaid.
The VHCF Report and the GAO Report can be found at the following websites:
http://www.vhcf.org/ and http://www.gao.gov/, respectively.
You can help by relaying the impact of the citizenship and identity requirements and can be an important resource to their local governing bodies and public officials as dialogue continues within Virginia communities regarding individuals’ access to government services. We encourage you to share this information with your local government officials.
Opinion Poll: Nine in 10 Voters Want SCHIP Reauthorized
Opinion Poll: Nine in 10 Voters Want SCHIP Reauthorized
Poll Measures Public Perceptions of the State Children's Health Insurance ProgramA new poll released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation shows that Americans overwhelmingly support the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which provides states with federal funds to design health insurance programs for vulnerable children.
In this national survey conducted by Public Opinion Strategies, nearly nine in 10 voters say they support reauthorizing SCHIP. In addition, a clear majority of survey participants support expanding the program's budget by an additional $35 billion over five years.
Read the news release.
View the full report.
From the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation email alert on: Health Insurance Coverage.
Poll Measures Public Perceptions of the State Children's Health Insurance ProgramA new poll released by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation shows that Americans overwhelmingly support the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), which provides states with federal funds to design health insurance programs for vulnerable children.
In this national survey conducted by Public Opinion Strategies, nearly nine in 10 voters say they support reauthorizing SCHIP. In addition, a clear majority of survey participants support expanding the program's budget by an additional $35 billion over five years.
Read the news release.
View the full report.
From the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation email alert on: Health Insurance Coverage.
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
CINCH ADVOCACY ACTION ALERT: SCHIP Reauthorization
Say YES to children!
Key recess messages
(1) As our children head back to school, Congress must help
make sure that young people have the health coverage they need
to succeed. Congress can do this by passing a strong $50 billion
SCHIP reauthorization. Six million children rely on SCHIP and
another five million uninsured low-income children would be
covered by new funding. These are God’s children – they need
our support.
(2) As people of faith, we will not tolerate politicians playing
politics with our children. We are all judged by how we treat the
least among us, especially innocent children. SCHIP has been a
great success with strong bi-partisan support since it began. The
faith community expects Congress and the President to say YES
to covering our children before SCHIP ends on September 30.
Responses to false and misleading claims
They say: The House bill cuts Medicare benefits for seniors to fund children’s health
􀃖We say: The House bill strengthens Medicare by reducing overpayments to insurance
companies, which is why it is supported by the AARP, the nation’s leading advocate for
seniors, and many other seniors’ organizations throughout the country. The House bill
eliminates windfalls to insurance companies while significantly improving the program
for all participants, a win-win for America’s children and seniors.
They say: The House bill expands health coverage to children in families earning $80,000.
􀃖We say: The bill sends needed funds to states to cover 5 million low-income children.
As private insurance has gotten more expensive, one state with high costs (New York)
offers subsidized coverage to uninsured children in higher income families. The
real story is that more than 9 of 10 children in SCHIP are in low-income families
earning less than $41,000, for a family of four.
They say: The bill allows illegal aliens to get government-funded health care.
􀃖We say: This is quite simply a false and misleading claim. Undocumented immigrants
are not eligible for insurance benefits under SCHIP or Medicaid. Neither the House nor
Senate bill changes this policy.
The House bill gives states the option to provide coverage to legally documented
immigrant children, a change that is widely supported by local and state officials
from both parties. The House and Senate bills give states more flexibility in how
they determine citizenship. This fixes a problem that has kept tens of thousands
of U.S. citizens from obtaining coverage. This change removes a barrier to
eligible children, but does not open SCHIP or Medicaid to undocumented children.
They say: This is a vast expansion of government health care, paving the way to
socialized medicine.
ô€ƒ–We say: This is about living up to our commitment to this nation’s children and
reducing the number of uninsured children from 9 million to 4 million – something
we can all be proud of. Families understand that it is getting harder to obtain
affordable coverage for their children. SCHIP has worked successfully
over the past ten years to reduce the number of uninsured children by
one-third without disrupting the health care system. SCHIP covers
children who would otherwise be uninsured and it is administered
through private insurance contractors, not government agencies. It
has had bi-partisan support since it was created.
They say: An increase in the federal tobacco tax hurts low-income people
􀃖We say: Tobacco taxes are a proven deterrent to youth smoking.
Raising the federal tobacco tax will save the lives of tens of thousands
of people, while saving all of us billions of dollars in unneeded medical
costs. Congress relied on tobacco tax revenue to create SCHIP in
1997 and should use it again to strengthen the program.
For more information visit www.coverallchildren.org
Key recess messages
(1) As our children head back to school, Congress must help
make sure that young people have the health coverage they need
to succeed. Congress can do this by passing a strong $50 billion
SCHIP reauthorization. Six million children rely on SCHIP and
another five million uninsured low-income children would be
covered by new funding. These are God’s children – they need
our support.
(2) As people of faith, we will not tolerate politicians playing
politics with our children. We are all judged by how we treat the
least among us, especially innocent children. SCHIP has been a
great success with strong bi-partisan support since it began. The
faith community expects Congress and the President to say YES
to covering our children before SCHIP ends on September 30.
Responses to false and misleading claims
They say: The House bill cuts Medicare benefits for seniors to fund children’s health
􀃖We say: The House bill strengthens Medicare by reducing overpayments to insurance
companies, which is why it is supported by the AARP, the nation’s leading advocate for
seniors, and many other seniors’ organizations throughout the country. The House bill
eliminates windfalls to insurance companies while significantly improving the program
for all participants, a win-win for America’s children and seniors.
They say: The House bill expands health coverage to children in families earning $80,000.
􀃖We say: The bill sends needed funds to states to cover 5 million low-income children.
As private insurance has gotten more expensive, one state with high costs (New York)
offers subsidized coverage to uninsured children in higher income families. The
real story is that more than 9 of 10 children in SCHIP are in low-income families
earning less than $41,000, for a family of four.
They say: The bill allows illegal aliens to get government-funded health care.
􀃖We say: This is quite simply a false and misleading claim. Undocumented immigrants
are not eligible for insurance benefits under SCHIP or Medicaid. Neither the House nor
Senate bill changes this policy.
The House bill gives states the option to provide coverage to legally documented
immigrant children, a change that is widely supported by local and state officials
from both parties. The House and Senate bills give states more flexibility in how
they determine citizenship. This fixes a problem that has kept tens of thousands
of U.S. citizens from obtaining coverage. This change removes a barrier to
eligible children, but does not open SCHIP or Medicaid to undocumented children.
They say: This is a vast expansion of government health care, paving the way to
socialized medicine.
ô€ƒ–We say: This is about living up to our commitment to this nation’s children and
reducing the number of uninsured children from 9 million to 4 million – something
we can all be proud of. Families understand that it is getting harder to obtain
affordable coverage for their children. SCHIP has worked successfully
over the past ten years to reduce the number of uninsured children by
one-third without disrupting the health care system. SCHIP covers
children who would otherwise be uninsured and it is administered
through private insurance contractors, not government agencies. It
has had bi-partisan support since it was created.
They say: An increase in the federal tobacco tax hurts low-income people
􀃖We say: Tobacco taxes are a proven deterrent to youth smoking.
Raising the federal tobacco tax will save the lives of tens of thousands
of people, while saving all of us billions of dollars in unneeded medical
costs. Congress relied on tobacco tax revenue to create SCHIP in
1997 and should use it again to strengthen the program.
For more information visit www.coverallchildren.org
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Covering Kids and Families: Communications Action Center
Covering Kids and Families: Communications Action Center
Covering Kids and Families, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is a national health access initiative for low-income, eligible, uninsured children and adults. The Communications Action Center is a comprehensive training center with information on planning communication and outreach efforts to enroll eligible uninsured children in Medicaid or SCHIP. A number of useful resources such as: educational tool kits, how to place public service announcements, how to engage the business community, and fundraising tutorials are available on their Web site. These resources can be helpful in planning campaigns while focusing on communication and outreach education. You can access this information online at: http://coveringkidsandfamilies.org/actioncenter.
Covering Kids and Families, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, is a national health access initiative for low-income, eligible, uninsured children and adults. The Communications Action Center is a comprehensive training center with information on planning communication and outreach efforts to enroll eligible uninsured children in Medicaid or SCHIP. A number of useful resources such as: educational tool kits, how to place public service announcements, how to engage the business community, and fundraising tutorials are available on their Web site. These resources can be helpful in planning campaigns while focusing on communication and outreach education. You can access this information online at: http://coveringkidsandfamilies.org/actioncenter.
Monday, July 30, 2007
SCHIP VOTES EXPECTED THIS WEEK - ACTION ALERT
Crunch Time for Congress!
SCHIP legislation will be considered by Congress this week in the House and Senate!
WE NEED CALLS TO BOTH SENATORS AND ALL VIRGINIA MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE.
SENATE UPDATE: With a strong bipartisan vote, the Senate Finance Committee adopted a SCHIP bill that included a $35 billion expansion funded by a 61 cent increase in the federal tobacco tax (bringing the tax to a dollar per pack of cigarettes). Many have pointed out that cigarette taxes are regressive, but others have argued that this is the only funding mechanism that will produce anything close to bipartisan agreement in Congress. The full Senate vote will be this week!
HOUSE UPDATE: The House Ways and Means Committee worked into Thursday night and Friday morning to approve a broader bill called “CHAMPS” that would include a $50 billion SCHIP expansion and a 45 cent increase in the federal tobacco tax. The House bill also would end the federal government's practice of paying more for people using Medicare Advantage (HMOs within Medicare that tend to attract healthier people) than it does for traditional Medicare. The House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over SCHIP, got bogged down in political maneuvering on Friday, and the Chairman decided to send the bill to the House floor without a committee vote. The House could vote on the bill early this week!
RESPONSE TO PRESIDENT’S VETO THREAT: The President has threatened to veto this legislation, saying it represents an expansion of the government that will "crowd out" private insurance. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has pointed out that most of the children who would get health insurance under the bills are those who already meet the eligibility requirements but are not enrolled, and that the majority by far are children who would otherwise not have health insurance. 96,000 uninsured children in Virginia are eligible for Medicaid or SCHIP but are not enrolled. The SCHIP legislation would fund their insurance and allow for growth in Virginia ’s program.
ACTION NEEDED: Calls to ALL Virginia members of Congress. They all need to hear from constituents!
THE MESSAGE: “PLEASE PUT CHILDREN FIRST! SUPPORT THE SCHIP BILL! PROVIDE HEALTH INSURANCE TO 96,000 UNINSURED CHILDREN IN VIRGINIA !”
Phone Fax Email / Website*
Senator John Warner (R) 202-224-2023 202-224-6295 www.warner.senate.gov
Senator Jim Webb (D) 202-224-4024 202-228-6363 www.webb.senate.gov
Rep. Jo Ann Davis (R-1st) 202-225-4261 202-225-4382 http://joanndavis.house.gov
Rep. Thelma Drake (R-2nd) 202-225-4215 202-225-4218 http://drake.house.gov
Rep. Bobby Scott (D-3rd) 202-225-8351 202-225-8354 bobby.scott@mail.house.gov
Rep. Randy Forbes (R-4th) 202-225-6365 202-226-1170 www.house.gov/forbes/
Rep. Virgil Goode (I-5th) 202-225-4711 202-225-5681 www.house.gov/goode/
Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-6th) 202 225-5431 202-225-9681 www.house.gov/goodlatte
Rep. Eric Cantor (R-7th) 202-225-2815 202-225-0011 http://cantor.house.gov
Rep. James Moran (D-8th) 202-225-4376 202-225-0017 http://moran.house.gov
Rep. Rick Boucher (D-9th) 202-225-3861 202-225-0442 ninthnet@mail.house.gov
Rep. Frank Wolf (R-10th) 202-225-5136 202-225-0437 www.house.gov/wolf
Rep. Tom Davis (R-11th) 202-225-1492 202-225-3071 http://tomdavis.house.gov
DON’T DELAY! PLEASE MAKE YOUR CALLS TODAY!
Thank you!
Jill
Jill A. Hanken, Staff Attorney, Virginia Poverty Law Center, 700 E. Franklin St . Suite 14T1, Richmond , VA 23219, 804-782-9430 ext. 13, 804-649-0974 (fax), jill@vplc.org
SCHIP legislation will be considered by Congress this week in the House and Senate!
WE NEED CALLS TO BOTH SENATORS AND ALL VIRGINIA MEMBERS OF THE HOUSE.
SENATE UPDATE: With a strong bipartisan vote, the Senate Finance Committee adopted a SCHIP bill that included a $35 billion expansion funded by a 61 cent increase in the federal tobacco tax (bringing the tax to a dollar per pack of cigarettes). Many have pointed out that cigarette taxes are regressive, but others have argued that this is the only funding mechanism that will produce anything close to bipartisan agreement in Congress. The full Senate vote will be this week!
HOUSE UPDATE: The House Ways and Means Committee worked into Thursday night and Friday morning to approve a broader bill called “CHAMPS” that would include a $50 billion SCHIP expansion and a 45 cent increase in the federal tobacco tax. The House bill also would end the federal government's practice of paying more for people using Medicare Advantage (HMOs within Medicare that tend to attract healthier people) than it does for traditional Medicare. The House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over SCHIP, got bogged down in political maneuvering on Friday, and the Chairman decided to send the bill to the House floor without a committee vote. The House could vote on the bill early this week!
RESPONSE TO PRESIDENT’S VETO THREAT: The President has threatened to veto this legislation, saying it represents an expansion of the government that will "crowd out" private insurance. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has pointed out that most of the children who would get health insurance under the bills are those who already meet the eligibility requirements but are not enrolled, and that the majority by far are children who would otherwise not have health insurance. 96,000 uninsured children in Virginia are eligible for Medicaid or SCHIP but are not enrolled. The SCHIP legislation would fund their insurance and allow for growth in Virginia ’s program.
ACTION NEEDED: Calls to ALL Virginia members of Congress. They all need to hear from constituents!
THE MESSAGE: “PLEASE PUT CHILDREN FIRST! SUPPORT THE SCHIP BILL! PROVIDE HEALTH INSURANCE TO 96,000 UNINSURED CHILDREN IN VIRGINIA !”
Phone Fax Email / Website*
Senator John Warner (R) 202-224-2023 202-224-6295 www.warner.senate.gov
Senator Jim Webb (D) 202-224-4024 202-228-6363 www.webb.senate.gov
Rep. Jo Ann Davis (R-1st) 202-225-4261 202-225-4382 http://joanndavis.house.gov
Rep. Thelma Drake (R-2nd) 202-225-4215 202-225-4218 http://drake.house.gov
Rep. Bobby Scott (D-3rd) 202-225-8351 202-225-8354 bobby.scott@mail.house.gov
Rep. Randy Forbes (R-4th) 202-225-6365 202-226-1170 www.house.gov/forbes/
Rep. Virgil Goode (I-5th) 202-225-4711 202-225-5681 www.house.gov/goode/
Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-6th) 202 225-5431 202-225-9681 www.house.gov/goodlatte
Rep. Eric Cantor (R-7th) 202-225-2815 202-225-0011 http://cantor.house.gov
Rep. James Moran (D-8th) 202-225-4376 202-225-0017 http://moran.house.gov
Rep. Rick Boucher (D-9th) 202-225-3861 202-225-0442 ninthnet@mail.house.gov
Rep. Frank Wolf (R-10th) 202-225-5136 202-225-0437 www.house.gov/wolf
Rep. Tom Davis (R-11th) 202-225-1492 202-225-3071 http://tomdavis.house.gov
DON’T DELAY! PLEASE MAKE YOUR CALLS TODAY!
Thank you!
Jill
Jill A. Hanken, Staff Attorney, Virginia Poverty Law Center, 700 E. Franklin St . Suite 14T1, Richmond , VA 23219, 804-782-9430 ext. 13, 804-649-0974 (fax), jill@vplc.org
Friday, June 22, 2007
SCHIP - Need help with Advocacy!!
This message from our Friends at the Virginia Poverty Law Center.
PLEASE TAKE ACTION TODAY!!! OUR CHILDREN NEED YOUR HELP!!
The Senate Finance Committee is expected to report SCHIP legislation before the July 4th recess. And things are getting dicey.
You may have read that HHS released a report stating there are millions fewer uninsured children than previously believed. The response to this report has been angry and swift.
This should get your blood boiling and motivate you to write a letter to the editor and call our Senators again to support:
1. $50 billion in new funding for SCHIP (and Medicaid) over the next 5 years. Funding should come from an increase in federal tobacco taxes and the elimination of overpayments to Medicare Advantage Plans (which cost at least 12% more per patient than traditional Medicare)
2. Restore flexibility to states to determine how they want to verify citizenship and identity of Medicaid applicants. Virginia’s net enrollment of Medicaid children is still 10,000 lower than a year ago, as a result of the unduly restrictive federal documentation requirements.
3. Restore flexibility to states to cover more legal immigrant children and legal immigrant pregnant women.
Please take action TODAY!
Senator John Warner (R) 202-224-2023 202-224-6295 http://www.warner.senate.gov/
Senator Jim Webb (D) 202-224-4024 202-228-6363 http://www.webb.senate.gov/
Thanks!
Jill
Thursday, May 17, 2007
FAMIS Faces - Online!
We wanted to share with all of you that the City of Norfolk, Department of Human Services has posted several of our FAMIS Faces photographs on its website along with family stories and information about FAMIS and how to apply. We are thrilled that they were willing to do this for us, and we hope it will reach some additional families.
Here is the link: http://www.norfolk.gov/humanservices/famis.asp.
Check it out, and again, thank you for all of your support!
You can also see an expanded selection of the FAMIS Faces at: http://pediatrics.evms.edu/famisfaces.htm
If you would like the Faces exhibit to come to your organization for a week, please contact us.
Here is the link: http://www.norfolk.gov/humanservices/famis.asp.
Check it out, and again, thank you for all of your support!
You can also see an expanded selection of the FAMIS Faces at: http://pediatrics.evms.edu/famisfaces.htm
If you would like the Faces exhibit to come to your organization for a week, please contact us.
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