Help defend Medicaid

[rurallib]

I think most of you are aware that Medicaid is one of the major losers in shrub's budget. I got the message from ICAN asking for true life stories of Medicaids effect. If you have any stories please contact the address within:
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Tell Your Story: How has Medicaid helped your family?

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ICAN is partnering with other groups in Iowa to develop a statewide Medicaid

story bank. Our goal is to quickly build a bank of powerful stories about how

Medicaid makes a difference to Iowa families. In the coming weeks, we’ll need

to be able to demonstrate that cuts at either the state or federal level will have

disastrous consequences for Iowa families. There is no better way to demonstrate

this than with the stories from the families themselves.



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Do you know a senior, a child, a person with a disability, or a working family that

has Medicaid coverage? If so, we would love to hear from you and them! Please

email [e-mail] to participate in this story bank.

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ICAN is fighting hard to protect the Medicaid program from state and federal cuts.

The stories in the story bank will be used to communicate our message clearly and

in a way that resonates with a broader audience - including the news media, state

legislators, Senators, and the general public - we need to humanize this debate.

And the best way to do that is by enlisting the help of those who depend on Medicaid.



We are looking for people who believe that Medicaid is a vital health care lifeline.

We are looking for people who can agree to speak to reporters in person to better

illustrate our message. We are looking for those who can help spread the word

that Medicaid is their one and only source of health coverage and that any cut is

not only unfair, it is morally wrong. We are looking for those who can talk about

their fears of becoming uninsured and having to choose between paying for rent

and food and paying for health insurance. We are looking for hardworking Iowans

who play by the rules and depend on Medicaid for their health care. We are looking

for children, who do not choose to become sick, and seniors, who cannot be blamed

for living a long life.



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We are also working with our national ally, Families USA, to get Iowa faces into the

national media and to have Iowan’s stories heard in Washington, DC. You can find

out more about the work of Families USA and their Medicaid Action Center at

www.familiesusa.org.

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Please email [e-mail] to participate in this story bank. If you are not

personally effected, please pass this message on to someone who is and they can

contact Matt directly. AND PLEASE FORWARD THIS MESSAGE AS YOU SEE FIT.



Thank You!