Action Alert: Help Women and Girls on Medicaid and Medicare

This week, Congress is considering a big tax extenders bill, which will include the “doc fix” for Medicare and extra funds for Medicaid. According to NPR, if Congress doesn’t take action by June 1:

Doctors could see their Medicare payments slashed by 21 percent. … The legislation would also continue the extra federal payments to help hard-pressed state Medicaid programs.

As I discussed on Friday (and reinforced by Sen. John Cornyn and the Wall Street Journal here), low Medicaid and Medicare payments hurt patient care. Low Medicaid payments hurt women especially, as we are 71% of the program’s adult beneficiaries.

Here’s what you can do to help: Contact your representative and senators by phone or email. (You can find your representative and senators’ contact information at Congress.org.) Ask them to vote for tax extenders bill and the “doc fix” so that Medicare and Medicaid payments won’t be cut. If your mom, grandma, cousin, aunt, neighbor or friend is on Medicare or Medicaid, tell be sure to tell your representative/senator’s office that. It helps to make it personal.

Here’s a sample telephone script (I live in Wisconsin):

Hi, I’m calling to ask Senator Feingold to vote for the tax extenders bill because I understand it includes the “doc fix” and additional funds for Medicaid. I’m on Medicaid and my aunts are on Medicare and we really need these safety nets. Please ask Senator Feingold to vote for the bill.

I would write something similar in an email:

Dear Senator Feingold:

Please vote for the tax extenders bill, with the “doc fix” and additional funds for Medicaid. I’m on Medicaid and my aunts are on Medicare and we really need these safety nets.

Thanks,
Danine Spencer

That’s all there is to it, really! Your calls and emails do make a difference so please go to Congress.org, enter your zip code in the little box on the right hand side where it says “Get Involved”, find your members of Congress and do what you can to help women and girls on Medicaid and Medicare.