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Federal Legislation for Children and Families
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Cut the Red Tape Not Children's Health Care

Issue: Call on Congress to Cut the Red Tape Not Children's Health Care

Time Frame: Immediate Action

Critical Facts: The U.S. House of Representatives passed a bipartisan supplemental appropriations bill that included an amendment with provisions to extend moratoria on seven regulations issued by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), as called for in H.R. 5613, Protecting the Medicaid Safety Net Act of 2008. Because of your action, the U.S. House passed H.R. 5613 bill with overwhelming, bipartisan support. In its version, the U.S. Senate also passed a supplemental appropriations measure that also included language to address the Medicaid regulations, in addition to a CMS directive that seeks to limit state efforts to provide health insurance coverage to children. Because of differences between the Senate and House bill, and a threat from Pres. Bush to veto the supplemental, the Senate returned its version of the bill to the House for further consideration.

Efforts are underway to undermine the progress made this year in Congress to address the harmful Medicaid regulations. The supplemental measure may be the best opportunity child advocates have this year to place a moratoria on all seven Medicaid regulations addressed in H.R. 5613.

Here's Our Opportunity:
Child advocates need to continue to fight back on potentially harmful decisions that could compromise state efforts to provide health care to children. We need to remind members of the U.S. House of Representatives to protect Medicaid services as called for in H.R. 5613. If the Medicaid regulations take full effect, services to vulnerable children will be quickly compromised and hard to reverse.

Take Action Now:
Call your House offices and ask them to reach out to House leadership. You can reach your members by calling the Capital Hill switchboard at 202-225-3121 or your local congressional office.

Tell them to contact House leadership and relay the message to keep all seven Medicaid regulation moratoria addressed in H.R. 5613 in the war supplemental. Remind them that the bill passed with overwhelming, bipartisan support. In addition, ask your members to support the Senate amendment addressing the August 17th SCHIP directive, which compromises states flexibility to extend health insurance coverage to children. Tell-a-friend!