|
In addition to "tax reform" and a bill to fund the government for the remainder of FY 2018, Congress also must turn its attention to other pressing matters with deadlines that are expiring soon or, in some cases, are overdue. Several of these expirations pertain to vital health programs that affect NJHSA agencies and the people they serve, such as vulnerable children, people with disabilities, and older adults.
It is critical for Jewish agencies and your wider communities to urge your Members of Congress to extend these vital health and long-term care programs before the end of the year.
Please use the talking points below
and contact your representatives and senators today by clicking here or by calling (202) 224-3121 to advocate for the following programs to be included as part of a bipartisan legislative package known as "Health Extenders" before the end of the year:
- Congress Should Pass a Five-Year Extension of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP):Federal funding for CHIP formally expired September 30, 2017, and Congressional action is needed to continue it. CHIP provides health insurance coverage to approximately 9 million children from families with low to modest incomes. A five-year CHIP extension has received significant bipartisan support. Click here for more information on CHIP.
- Congress Should Pass a Permanent Solution for the Medicare Therapy Caps: These detrimental caps impose limits on services often needed by older adults, such as physical and occupational therapy. Congress' last moratorium on the caps will expire by the end of the year, and the caps will take effect January 1, 2018, if Congress does not act to stop them. This would force nearly one million Medicare beneficiaries to pay 100% of the cost of their care over the caps, or ration their care to avoid exhausting their benefits. Congress has stopped the therapy caps from going into effect for the last 20 years, but only on a short-term basis. Click here for more information on Medicare Therapy caps.
- Congress Should Pass a Long-Term Extension of the Maternal, Infant & Early Childhood Home Visiting Program (MIECHV): Like CHIP, the bipartisan MIECHV program expired on September 30, 2017. Established in 2010, the program provides home visits by nurses, mental health clinicians, and others to at-risk mothers and their children to support the healthy development of infants and toddlers. MIECHV has been successful in bringing state and locally-based, cost-effective care to these vulnerable families. Click here for more information on MIECHV.
- Congress Should Extend the Money Follows the Person Program (MFP): The bipartisan MFP program, signed into law in 2005 by President Bush, has enabled 75,000 individuals with chronic conditions and disabilities to transition from institutionalized settings to their homes and communities. MFP's authorization expired on September 30, 2016. NJHSA is urging Congress to extend this valuable and cost-effective program that has helped so many people with disabilities and older adults move back to their homes and communities. Click here for more information on MFP.
- Congress Should Delay Cuts to Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) Payments:Safety net hospitals, which provide significant uncompensated care to uninsured and underinsured patients, need Medicaid disproportionate share hospital payments to help offset these unreimbursed expenses. Congress has acted several times to stop cuts to DSH payments from going into effect, and needs to do so once again. The last moratorium on the cuts expired on September 30, 2017. NJHSA is urging Congress to stop the Medicaid DSH cuts and protect safety net hospitals' ability to continue caring for vulnerable populations in their communities. Click here for more information on cuts to DSH payments.
For a sample letter, click here.
For more information, please contact our partners at Jewish Federations of North America:
|
