There’s been a lot in the news lately about the so-called “supercommittee” in Congress, which has been tasked with trimming more than a trillion dollars from the federal deficit. It’s the supercommittee’s job to figure out which programs will get the budget axe.
It’s old news that critical government programs are on the chopping block, but what these news articles often fail to report is the human cost of cutting these essential programs, including Medicaid.
With that in mind, and with the deadline fast approaching, we’ve asked our fellow members of the Protect Medicaid Coalition to share their thoughts on what’s at stake with the supercommittee’s work- and what its recommendations could mean for women’s health.
Take a look at their blog posts below – what we’ve symbolically called a blog “rally” to show our support for the “Wake Up Congress” rally today at the U.S. Senate – and then join the conversation on Twitter by using the hashtag: #ProtectMedicaid!
Dear Supercommittee: There’s Nothing “Super” about Cutting Medicaid
Andrea Friedman, National Partnership for Women & Families
As a nation, our conversations often revolve around “family values.” Yet when it comes to showing that we truly value families, politicians sometimes fall short.
At present, Congress is deliberating how best to cut the deficit – and one of our most family-friendly programs may be on the chopping block as the so-called supercommittee searches for cuts. But there’s no question about it: if Medicaid funding is cut, America’s women and families will suffer. More >>
Super Committee and Health Care: How Potential Cuts to Medicaid Could Harm Low-Income Women and Girls
By Davida Silverman, Staff Attorney, NHeLP
“Shared sacrifices.” “Tough decisions.” “Everything is on the table.” This is the rhetoric being used to describe the Super Committee’s daunting task of reducing the national deficit by $1.2 trillion over the next ten years. And it makes sense that politicians and lawmakers want to frame deficit reduction as a great equalizer – “everyone has to give a little” makes it easier to justify major changes, namely budget cuts to federal programs.
Let’s face it: there is no equality in what they are doing. Regardless of the rhetoric, one thing is clear: the poor and vulnerable will be the losers in any political deal. More >>
Tell Congress That Preserving Medicaid is Critically Important to Women and Families
By Danielle Garrett, Health Policy Analyst, National Women’s Law Center
The deadline for the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (The Super-Committee) to reach an agreement is fast approaching. The Committee is undoubtedly debating cuts to many programs that provide vital services to millions of Americans, including Medicaid. In these last days leading up to the Committee deadline, we must let Congress know that an agreement that includes Medicaid cuts could be devastating to women and families.
It’s easy to view Medicare as a program that helps your parents or grandparents and Medicaid as a program only for the poorest of the poor – a program that doesn’t affect you or anyone you know. But you would be surprised how many people, including people you probably know, are helped by the Medicaid program. More >>
Keep Medicaid Safe to Keep Women Healthy!
By Keely Monroe, Program Coordinator, Raising Women’s Voices for the Health Care We Need
With a little over a week for the Congressional super committee to complete its work, we must raise our voices to ensure Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are protected in the final deficit reduction package.
What does the Super Committee have to do with women’s health? A LOT, because the committee is considering making big cuts in programs like Medicaid that are important for the health of women across our lifespan! More >>
How Washington’s Budget Priorities Injure Immigrant Women
By Anjela Jenkins, Policy Analyst, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health
Many women in the United States take a huge step forward under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). With the ACA’s provisions for more affordable private healthcare, expanded access to public health coverage, and mandated insurance coverage for the wide range of preventive care services, the future looks bright. But the Congress Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction more commonly known as the supercommittee is changing that. Many women, including many Latinas, stand to be hurt as the supercommittee tries to reach a deal to reduce the deficit by $1.5 trillion over the next decade. More >>
Why Now is the Time to Support, Not Undermine, Medicaid
By Natalie Camastra, Policy Intern, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health
The National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (NLIRH), as the only national organization advocating for reproductive justice and health for millions of Latinas, their families and their communities, strongly urges the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, or “Supercommittee” to reexamine their logic when considering cuts or reforms to Medicaid in order to achieve deficit reduction. In this time of economic recession, high rates of uninsurance, and disturbingly high levels of poverty, especially for Latinas, NLIRH argues we must reaffirm our commitment to the health of the nation’s most vulnerable, not inhibit Medicaid’s ability to serve these groups. Cuts will only serve to decrease the positive economic impact Medicaid has in our states and potentially raise health care costs by shifting towards disease treatment and emergency room costs: both consequences have a real human toll that the Supercommittee must take into account as the November 23 deadline approaches. More >>
