Resolving our Nation’s Debt on the Backs of the Most Vulnerable is irresponsible

Resolving our Nation’s Debt -- Not on the Backs of the Most Vulnerable

With a few days remaining until the August deadline to negotiate a deficit reduction package and resolve the debt ceiling, we have little time to make our voices heard. Tell your Senators to protect Medicare as they work to resolve our Nation’s debt.

Cuts to Medicaid will affect the most vulnerable members of our society. Latino children, seniors and people with disabilities will experience additional hardship in accessing health care services. Latinos already have the highest rates of un-insurance in the country and face multiple disparities in their health and in accessing health care. For the poorest and sickest, Medicaid provides the only access to health care, yet these cuts will mean that they will face additional barriers in accessing health care services and/or go without insurance.

Current research shows that people enrolled in Medicaid are more likely to access health care, including primary and preventative care, than their uninsured counterparts. Given that one third of Hispanics were uninsured in 2009, Medicaid provides an opportunity for those to access health care that would not be able to access it otherwise. Among Latinos covered by Medicaid or CHIP, the majority or 8.5 million were under 18.

Call your Senator today by dialing the Capitol Hill switch board: 888-876-6242

Urge your Senators to:

- Resolve our Nation’s debt crisis but not on the backs of our seniors, people with disabilities and vulnerable children who need medical care
- Protect Medicaid in the negotiations to address our nation’s debt limit.
- Reduce the deficit through a balanced approach that addresses both spending cuts and revenue increases
- Extreme cuts to Medicaid could:
o Deny access to health care services for our children that require medical treatment
o Cut funding to nursing homes which our seniors depend on
o Create additional health disparities for Latino communities that are already disproportionately impacted
o Put America’s future at risk if medical care is cut for America’s children

Please call TODAY to protect Medicaid