HIV Medicaid/Medicare Working Group Action Alert

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HIV Medicaid/Medicare Working Group Action Alert

Do you want to keep Medicaid as a guaranteed health program?

Do you live in California, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana,
Hawaii, Louisiana, Rhode Island, or West Virginia?

Then before you carve your turkey this week, please make an important
phone call!

Senators Jeff Bingaman (D-New Mexico) and Patty Murray (D-Washington)
are asking all Democrats in the Senate to sign a letter to President
Bush that declares firm opposition to any Medicaid reform proposal that
would put a cap on federal Medicaid spending and/or eliminate the
current guarantee to Medicaid coverage. You can view the letter at
http://www.idsociety.org/HIVMA_Template.cfm?Section=Medicaid&CONTENTID=1
0829&TEMPLATE=/ContentManagement/ContentDisplay.cfm

There is great concern that the Bush Administration will attempt to make
such changes in Medicaid as part of next year's Budget Resolution
process.  The President has announced an expensive domestic agenda for
next year, including tax and social security reform, and Medicaid is one
of the few places to find money to pay for this agenda.

The Bingaman/Murray letter is intended to demonstrate strong opposition
from Democratic Senators against such changes to Medicaid. It will be
sent shortly, as the Bush Administration is already working on next
year's budget. A similar letter was sent last year, and signed by every
Democrat in the Senate (except for Zell Miller).

OUR TARGETS:  As of Monday, November 22nd, all Senate Democrats have
signed this letter except for the following:

Evan Bayh (Indiana), Joe Biden (Delaware), Robert Byrd (West Virginia),
Thomas Carper (Delaware), Dianne Feinstein (California), Daniel Inouye
(Hawaii), Mary Landrieu (Louisiana), and Jack Reed (Rhode Island).

Incoming Senators Barack Obama (Illinois) and Ken Salazar (Colorado) are
also being asked to sign.

If any of the above is your Senator, please take a few minutes this week
and ask them to sign this important letter!

How you can help:

If you are a constituent of any of the Senators listed above, please
call their D.C. office and ask to speak to the legislative aide who
handles Medicaid and health issues. Whether you speak to that person
live or leave a message, tell them:

"I'm a constituent of Senator_______________ and I urge him/her to sign
the Bingaman/Murray letter against caps and block grants for Medicaid.
President Bush needs to know that Medicaid is saving the lives of people
living with AIDS and HIV and we need to send him that message now." 

Please note that this letter is for Democratic Senators only. If your
Senator(s) is a Republican, you don't need to contact them at this time.

Contact information:

You can reach your Senator toll-free by calling the Capitol Switchboard
at 1-800-839-5276. Ask to be transferred to your Senator's office.

If you live in Illinois, you can call Senator-elect Obama's campaign
office at 1-312-427-6300. If you live in Colorado, you can call Senator
elect Salazar's office at 1-303-300-2004. Tell whoever answers the phone
about this letter and that incoming Senators are being asked to sign.

Thank you for taking the time to make a difference on this important
issue! This is a crucial first step in fighting to make sure that
Medicaid is a guaranteed safety net for those who need it.

The HIV Medicaid/Medicare Working Group is a national coalition of
advocates working to protect and expand Medicaid and Medicare for people
living with HIV/AIDS. For more information about the working group,
please write to [e-mail].