SSAN Action Alert
September 21, 2009


Special thanks to Center for Disability Rights (CDR) for keeping the network up-to-date on all actions related to the Community Choice Act. Help support the national efforts to include the Community First Choice option in health care reform by spreading this alert far and wide!


Issue: Pass the Community First Choice Amendment!



Action: 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 Senator 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 and say:




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




[More info] The amendment 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!)



Arizona:

Jon Kyl (R)

(202) 224-4521



Arkansas:

Blanche Lincoln (D)

(202) 224-4843



Delaware:

Tom Carper (D)

(202) 224-2441



Florida:

Bill Nelson (D)

(202) 224-5274



Idaho:

Mike Crapo (R)

(202) 224-6142



Iowa:

Chuck Grassley (R)

(202) 224-3744



Kansas:

Pat Roberts (R) [CCA CO-SPONSOR!]

(202) 224-4774



Kentucky:

Jim Bunning (R)

(202) 224-4343



Maine:

Olympia Snowe (R)

(202) 224-5344



Massachusetts:

John F. Kerry (D) [CCA CO-SPONSOR!]

(202) 224-2742



Michigan:

Debbie Stabenow (D) [CCA CO-SPONSOR!]

(202) 224-4822



Montana:

Max Baucus (D) [Chair of Sen. Finance Committee]

(202) 224-2651



Nevada:

John Ensign (R)

(202) 224-6244



New Jersey:

Robert Menendez (D) [CCA CO-SPONSOR!]

(202) 224-4744



New Mexico:

Jeff Bingaman (D)

(202) 224-5521



North Dakota:

Kent Conrad (D)

(202) 224-2043



Oregon:

Ron Wyeden (D)

(202) 224-5244



Texas:

John Cornyn (R)

(202) 224-2934



Utah:

Orrin Hatch (R)

(202) 224-5251



Washington:

Maria Cantwell (D)

(202) 224-3441



West Virginia:

John D. Rockefeller, IV (D)

(202) 224-6472



Wyoming:

Mike Enzi (R)

(202) 224-3424

Background: 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. Center for Disability Rights learned early this morning that Senator Schumer has introduced the Community First Choice option as an amendment to the Senate Finance health reform bill.

Help support their efforts by urging colleagues, friends and family in the states indicated above (the states represented by the members of the Senate Finance Committee) to call on their senators to support the Community First Choice amendment!




Please report your efforts by emailing ssan-advocate@yahoogroups.com







If you have any questions about this work alert, please contact Lindsay Miller, Advocacy Coordinator at lmiller@ilny.org or call 518-465-4650.







SSAN Action Alert #60