Not Dead Yet to Speak at My Medicaid Matters Rally in Washington, D.C. Wednesday – Senator Tom Harkin and Rep. Jim Langevin Also Among Speakers
Not Dead Yet (NDY) is among 65 national organizations co-sponsoring a September 21 rally at noon on Capitol Hill to urge policy makers to protect and preserve Medicaid.
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Medicaid home and community based services are key to meeting very real human needs and relieving the fear of being a burden.
Rochester, NY (PRWEB) September 20, 2011
Not Dead Yet (NDY) is among 65 national organizations co-sponsoring a September 21 rally at noon on Capitol Hill to urge policy makers to protect and preserve Medicaid. Other co-sponsors represent a broad array of senior, disability, civil rights and worker groups, including AARP, ADAPT, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, SEIU and many more.
“We need to tell Congress that Medicaid matters!” said Not Dead Yet Board member Mary Lopez, executive director of Independence Empowerment Center in Manassas, VA, who will be speaking on behalf of NDY at the rally. “Certain legislators have proposed block grants which create a lack of accountability for how states spend Medicaid dollars. Others propose drastic cuts. Either way would seriously endanger seniors and people with disabilities.”
National advocacy organizations will address the federal budget crisis and its potential to create a recipe for disaster for Medicaid recipients. Confirmed Congressional speakers include Senator Tom Harkin (IA), as well as Representatives Donna Christensen (VI), Wm. Lacy Clay (MO), Danny Davis (IL), Jim Langevin (RI), Jan Schakowsky (IL) and Chris Murphy (CT), among others. Medicaid recipients will also speak about the impact of potential cuts on their daily lives.
“Medicaid is the national safety net for millions of people,” said Bob Kafka of Not Dead Yet of Texas. “The Federal budget debate has largely overlooked the real impact of severe Medicaid cutbacks. This rally is the single major national Medicaid advocacy event this year.”
“Medicaid is definitely a Not Dead Yet issue,” said Diane Coleman, President/CEO of national Not Dead Yet. “On the acute health care side, you have the example of Barbara Wagner, the woman who received a letter from the state of Oregon denying her cancer treatments but offering to pay for her assisted suicide. And on the long term care side, the Oregon assisted suicide reports show that some people request a lethal prescription because they feel like a burden on family members – Medicaid home and community based services are key to meeting very real human needs and relieving the fear of being a burden.”
For more information on the rally, visit ADAPT Medicaid Rally.
Not Dead Yet is a national disability rights organization that opposes legalization of assisted suicide and active euthanasia as forms of discrimination against old, ill and disabled people. It also opposes involuntary withholding of life-sustaining medical treatment and supports increased disclosure and accountability in the health care system.
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