View Full Version : Urge Senate to Add Community First Option‏


Laura
09-15-2009, 06:17 PM
Action Alert

September 15, 2009

Issue: Urge your Senator and the Senate Finance Committee to include the
Community First Choice option in the committee health reform bill

Action: Use Center for Disability Rights' capwiz to contact NY Senators
Schumer and Gillibrand and the key Senate Finance Committee leaders to ask
them to support including the Community First Choice option in the
committee's health reform bill. Click on the "Take Action Now" link below,
which will take you to a sample letter. Feel free to edit it to make it
more personal.

Take Action Now!
http://capwiz.com/rochestercdr/issues/alert/?alertid=14029391

Background: The Senate Finance Committee is about to begin final mark-up of
their health reform bill. It is critical that we take action now to get
them to include a proposal which addresses Medicaid's institutional bias.

ADAPT, NCIL, the Arc, the Coalition for Community Integration and other
advocates have developed a proposal for a state option that would give
states an enhanced federal Medicaid match for providing attendant services
and supports as an alternative to institutional placement. This proposal is
called the Community First Choice (CFC) option.

It is urgent that we contact our Senators and key Finance Committee leaders
to ask them to support including the Community First Choice in the
committee's health reform bill.

Please report your efforts to Mike Godino, see below contact information.

Sent by:

Mike Godino
Director of Advocacy, BCID
Brooklyn Center for the Independence of the Disabled, Inc.
27 Smith Street, 2nd Floor
Brooklyn, NY 11201-5111
Voice: 718-998-3000
TTY: 718-998-7406
Fax: 718-998-3743
mgodino@bcid.org

Laura
09-22-2009, 06:19 PM
This is huge news!

New York Senator Schumer introduced the Community First Choice amendment to the Senate Finance Committee's health care reform! The next step is to urge the Committee to pass the amendment.

Now, we need to call on our friends and family across the country to contact their Senators on the Senate Finance Committee and urge them to support the amendment. Have a friend in Kentucky? An aunt in Florida? Have them call their senator TODAY using this script.

****************
Script:

"I am calling because New York Senator Schumer just introduced the
Community First Choice amendment to the Senate's health care bill, and I want Senator [name] to help pass this amendment! Everyone should have a
choice to get home care and not be stuck in a nursing facility."

[If asked what the amendment does, here is more information] It would give states increased federal Medicaid matching funds for providing attendant services and supports as an alternative to nursing facilities and institutions.

****************
Below is a list of all of the Senate Finance Committee members and their
D.C. phone number. (If the Senator is already a co-sponsor of CCA-as
noted below-then they should be the first to support this amendment!) You can also call the Senate switchboard using this toll-free number: 866-324-0787.

AZ: Jon Kyl (R) (202) 224-4521
AR:Blanche Lincoln (D) (202) 224-4843
DE: Tom Carper (D) (202) 224-2441
FL: Bill Nelson (D) (202) 224-5274
ID: Mike Crapo (R) (202) 224-6142
IA: Chuck Grassley (R) (202) 224-3744
KS:Pat Roberts (R) [CCA CO-SPONSOR!] (202) 224-4774
KY:Jim Bunning (R) (202) 224-4343
ME: Olympia Snowe (R) (202) 224-5344
MA: John F. Kerry (D) [CCA CO-SPONSOR!] (202) 224-2742
MI Debbie Stabenow (D) [CCA CO-SPONSOR!] (202) 224-4822
MT Max Baucus (D) [Chair of Sen. Finance Committee] (202) 224-2651
NV: John Ensign (R) (202) 224-6244
NJ:Robert Menendez (D) [CCA CO-SPONSOR!] (202) 224-4744
NM: Jeff Bingaman (D) (202) 224-5521
ND: Kent Conrad (D) (202) 224-2043
OR: Ron Wyeden (D) (202) 224-5244
TX: John Cornyn (R) (202) 224-2934
UT: Orrin Hatch (R) (202) 224-5251
WA:Maria Cantwell (D) (202) 224-3441
WV: John D. Rockefeller, IV (D) (202) 224-6472
WY: Mike Enzi (R) (202) 224-3424

NATIONAL ADAPT MAILING LIST - Adapt Community Choice Act List http://www.adapt.org