The Appropriations Committee must take final action by Thursday, April 5.
This may be our last opportunity to push for restoration of Medicaid cuts!
This may be our last opportunity to push for restoration of Medicaid cuts!
CSMS is asking the Appropriations Committee to include in a FY '19 budget bill:
- Funding to continue the Medicare Savings Program at current eligibility levels
- Restoration of HUSKY A parents' eligibility to 155% FPL
- Removal of the cap on HUSKY adult dental services
- Restoration of primary care reimbursement rates to 100% of the 2014 Medicare rates
We are also urging additional revenue sources so that these restorations can be made without cutting other essential services. You can help! Please call your personal legislators first, and then the Appropriations Committee legislators. See below for a sample script and contact information. Thank you.
Link to find your legislators:
https://www.cga.ct.gov/asp/menu/cgafindleg.asp
Link to the list of Appropriations Members:
https://www.cga.ct.gov/app/
Switchboard Phone Numbers: Ask for your legislator or their aide.
House Democrats: 860-240-8500
Senate Democrats: 860-240-8600
House Republicans: 860-240-8700
Senate Republicans: 860-240-8800
Suggestion for what to say when you call:
"My name is _______________, and [if applicable] I am your constituent [or I assist or represent some of your constituents].
I am urging you to support full restoration of the Medicaid program, by reversing the severe cuts made in October to:
- Medicare Savings Program eligibility
- HUSKY A eligibility
- adult dental services, and
- primary care provider rates.
[Note if you are personally affected by any of these cuts.]
I realize that the budget is tight. But that is why I urge you to adopt new revenue options to fund this restoration, so other cuts don’t have to be made. If the legislature does not act now to reverse these cuts, about 126,000 low income individuals are going to lose some or all of their Medicaid coverage between July 1, 2018 and January 1, 2019. As a taxpayer, I would rather see modest tax increases than have these extreme cuts to the safety net go into effect, and certainly high income residents can afford to pay a little more. [If you want to identify one or two specific revenue suggestions, or a set of them, you can refer to the revenue options developed by CT Voices for Children, see http://www.ctvoices.org/sites/default/files/Revenue%20Options%202017_0.pdf].
Thank you for protecting CT residents on Medicaid."
