Nation Watch—Advocacy
It's Time to Be Heard
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Pass Money Follows the Person/ Family Opportunity Act Next Week!
Next week, Congress will return for what is known as a "lame duck" session. They will probably only be in session for a week or two. Their first order of business is to pass appropriations for 2005 and to increase the debt limit.
But we need to remind Congress that it is time to "Keep the Promise" and pass Money Follows the Person and the Family Opportunity Act before the 108th Congress leaves Washington for the last time. For this reason NCIL encourages disability advocates and allies to make a final push to pass these bills NOW!!! Too long we have been promised results only to see negotiations break down with our goal in sight. Our message is simple: The time for excuses, vague promises that are not delivered upon and demands for program cuts to "pay for" MFP/FOA has passed.
Over a year ago, President Bush committed $1.75 billion for his Money Follows the Person/ Rebalancing Initiative. Now, it is time that Congress breaks the gridlock around legislation and takes long-overdue action to empower persons with disabilities to get the assistance they need in order to help individuals live in the community.
Background
The Senate passed the Family Opportunity Act (S 622) earlier this year. A separate Money Follows the Person bill (S 1394) has been introduced, but not passed by the Senate.
In the House of Representatives, the Family Opportunity Act (H 1811) was amended in late June to include Money Follows the Person. It was on the "suspension" calendar and about to be voted upon when concerns about offsets in Medicaid to fund the legislation led to disagreements about how to proceed. H 1811 was pulled from the suspension calendar and has not been acted upon since.
Talking Points:
1. Family Opportunity Act
The bipartisan Family Opportunity Act would allow families with children who have severe disabilities to buy into the Medicaid program so that they have access to important health care services and supports which they cannot get through private insurance plans. The following are reasons Congress should support this legislation.
- Passage of this bill would help these families stay employed, keep their children at home, and ensure that their children get the services they need.
- It requires parents to pay premiums for this coverage on a sliding scale, based upon their incomes.
- This program would be a state option and not mandatory.
- It requires parents to take employer-sponsored family coverage, if available, but it allows them to buy into Medicaid to supplement the employer benefit package.
2. Money Follows the Person
Money Follows the Person is a demonstration project that would require the federal government to reimburse the state for 100% of the first-year costs of home and community based services for individuals on Medicaid who move to the community from nursing homes or other institutions. In year two, the state match returns to the original rate. The reasons for passing this bill
include:
- Allowing individuals real choice in where they live; -Assisting states in Olmstead implementation which would help eliminate the institutional bias in Medicaid funding; -Reducing costs since home and community based services are far less expensive than institutional care -Honoring the promise made by President Bush in 2003 to provide $1.75 billion for a Money Follows the Individual Rebalancing Demonstration Project -Being consistent with family values and doing the right thing.
Call to Action
- Call the White House and urge the President to deliver on his promise for Money Follows the Person legislation.
The White House Comment Line is (202)-456-1111 (TTY Accessible) - Call your Representative in the House and urge passage of legislation to include both the Family Opportunity Act and Money Follows the Person.
NOTE: Remember to call your Representative for the 108th Congress, not the Representative just elected for the 109th Congress (if the two are different). If you do not know your Representative's Phone Number, see below - Call Your Senators and urge passage of H 1811 (Money Follows the Person/Family Opportunity Act) once the House passes the legislation.
NOTE: If you do not know your Senators' Phone Numbers See Below. Also note that the Senate passed the Family Opportunity Act earlier this year. - How to find your Representative or Senators' phone numbers
- Go to http://www.congress.org .
- Find the box under the heading "Write Elected Officials," type in your zip code and press the enter key.
- Then, when the names of your elected officials come on the screen, click your mouse on the word "Info" under the name of the elected official you want to contact. The telephone number will be listed on the page that comes up next.
We really want NCIL members to take a leading role in this effort! This is a real opportunity for NCIL members to live up to our motto of "Not Just Responding To Change, But Leading It!" Let's make the most of it.
If you have any questions, contact Gwen Gillenwater, NCIL Director of Advocacy and Public Policy or Daniel Davis, NCIL Policy Analyst by phone at
(703)-525-3406 or by e-mail at gwen@ncil.org or daniel@ncil.org