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!
Medicaid is essential to the health care women need because we are the majority of Medicaid beneficiaries and will suffer disproportionately if cuts are made. Medicaid provides vital health care services to the most vulnerable and underserved women in our country. This care includes family planning, prenatal and maternity care to breast and cervical cancer screening and, later in life, long-term care in the community or nursing facilities. The ACA expands Medicaid eligibility so that more women will have coverage for the care they need (starting in 2014). If the Super Committee cuts the Medicaid budget, they threaten the ACA’s guarantee to do that.
Make your voice heard! Tell the Super Committee that they must REJECT a plan that cuts Medicaid. Instead, we need to urge them to support a balance approach to deficit reduction, including revenue increases, so that women’s health will be protected.
For more information on Raising Women’s Voices for the Health Care We Need, please visit us at http://www.raisingwomensvoices.net/.
