Save Medicaid!

Ouch! Save Medicaid. Cuts Hurt Us All! #handsoffmedicaid www.familyvoicesofca.org. Banner is White and red text on blue background with a yellow and red comic book punch graphic behind the word ouch.

We all need to work together to protect Medicaid. Here’s a helpful toolkit to get you started! Call and visit your representatives and tell them #HandsOffMedicaid!

What is Medicaid?

Medicaid (called “Medi-Cal” in California) is a public health insurance program. Almost 80 million people in the United States use Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to pay for their health care. This includes 17 million people with disabilities and older adults and 6 million children with disabilities. Every state has Medicaid. The federal government and the states pay for Medicaid.

Why Do I Need to Advocate for Medicaid Now?

Congress is currently considering a $2.3 TRILLION cut to Medicaid. This would be devastating for children and people across America!

Cuts to Medicaid go by lots of names. Some of the names are “work requirements,” “block grants,” “per capita caps,” and “Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) changes.” The exact meaning of these words does not matter. They are funding cuts to Medicaid programs. The cuts will hurt people with disabilities, older adults, kids, and other low-income people.

What Can I Do to Save Medicaid?

Call or visit your members of Congress. Use the script below or this script to talk to Congressional offices on the phone. To send a letter automatically to all of your representatives at once, use this letter-sending tool. Add some personal information into the message text if you would like.

Tell your elected officials “Hands Off Our Medicaid!”

Call the congressional switchboard: (202) 224-3121, ask for your Congressmember. Here is a sample call script:

My name is [your name] I live in [your city, your state]. My address is [your address].

I am a person with a disability/parent of a child with a disability. [Say more about your or your child’s disability].

I care about Medicaid. Medicaid helps kids get the services they need. Medicaid helps people with disabilities live independently in their communities. Medicaid helps keep people with disabilities out of nursing homes and institutions.

17 million people with disabilities and older adults use Medicaid to pay for their health care. Over 6 million kids with disabilities have Medicaid as their health insurance. Medicaid pays for 70% of long term health services–most of these services are not covered by Medicare or private insurance. Medicaid is critical for children’s hospitals and to our entire system of pediatric care. People with private insurance will also be hurt by cuts to Medicaid.

I urge you to do everything in your power to protect Medicaid. Cuts to Medicaid of any kind–through FMAP changes, work requirements, block grants, or per capita caps–are unacceptable. Do not vote to cut Medicaid in any way!

Thank you.

You can also use this search tool to find out who your elected officials are.

Fill in your address.

Select “Federal Officials.”

Select each of the names listed.

The contact information for your representatives will appear.

If you are in CA, take this 3 minute survey to share your Medi-Cal story with us!

SOCIAL MEDIA TOOLKIT

Social Media Copy Overview with Sources and Social Media Graphics

Here is the text version of each slide with sources (use this to add text to your social media posts), as well as printable fact sheets to leave with legislators, and social media graphics to share widely.

FVCA #HandsOffMedicaid OverviewDownload
Medicaid is Good for All of UsDownload
Save Medicaid Cuts Hurt Us AllDownload
Medicaid is Vital for CaliforniaDownload
White and red text on a bright blue background. Text reads "Medicaid cuts hurt us all!" On the bottom of the page text reads "www.familyvoicesofca.org" and "#HandsOffMedicaid"
Bright blue background with red and white text that reads "Medicaid is Crucial. Congress is currently considering a $2.3 Trillion cut to Medicaid. This would be devastating for children and vulnterable people across America!"
Bright blue background with red and white text that reads "Medicaid Cuts hurt rural and urban areas! Rural hospitals, urban safety-net hospitals, and speciality children's hospitals rely heavily on medicaid funding. Medicaid cuts could close hospitals in rural and urban communities across the country."
Bright blue background with red and white text that reads "Medicaid cuts create gaps in pediatric care! Children's hospitals are the core of the health care delivery system for children, bringing together teams of specialists to provide care not available in any other setting. They cannot stay open without Medicaid. Even if you have private insurance, cuts to Medicaid will impact your access to pediatric care!"
Bright blue background with red and white text that reads "Medicaid cuts take away jobs! Health care employs millions of people, from nurses to medical technicians to administratos. A cut of this magnititude could lead to significant job losses, further harming local, state, and national economies."
Bright blue background with red and white text that reads "Medicaid cuts put people in institutions. Without services provided by Medicaid, many people with disabilities would be forced out of their homes and into expensive hospitals and long-term care institutions against their will. This would hurt them and ultimately increase government spending."
Bright blue background with red and white text that reads "Call and Visit today (and everyday!). Call and visit your representative. Congressional switchboard: (202)224-3121. Share how Medicaid impacts you and your child. Tell them 'No cuts, no caps, no changes to Medicaid!'"
Bright blue megaphone on dark blue background. Red and white text reads "Medicaid is good for all of us!"
Dark blue background with red and white text that reads "Medicaid is a lifeline for kids. Medicaid covers kids in every state, from every background. It provides affordable coverage to children in lower-income families and to kids with disabilities and special health care needs. Medicaid is a partnership between the federal government and states. It is the single largest health insurer for children in the United States, covering more than 70 million Americans, including 40 million children and people with disabilities. Medicaid also provides more than half of the funding for children’s hospitals across the United States. Even if you have private insurance, cuts to Medicaid will impact you!"
Dark blue background with red and white text that reads "Medicaid cuts hurt people with private insurance. Medicaid provides more than half of the funding for children’s hospitals across the United States. Children's hospitals are at the core of the health care delivery system for children, bringing together teams of specialists to provide care not available in any other setting. Even if you have private insurance, cuts to Medicaid will impact you!"
Dark blue background with red and white text that reads "Medicaid pays for Disability Services. Medicaid is critical for children and adults with disabilities. Medicaid pays for services and supports that are essential to people with disabilities including early intervention, doctors’ appointments, medicine, wheelchairs, walkers, treatments, tests, respite care, home and community-based services, as well as supported employment and supported housing."
Dark blue background with red and white text that reads "Medicaid pays for Special Education. Medicaid pays billions of dollars annually for critical special education services including: Speech and Language Therapy, Audiology Services, Occupational and Physical Therapy, Behavioral Health Services, Mental Health Counseling, Nursing Services, Early Childhood Screening and Interventions, Health-Related Services to support students' access and ability to learn including wheelchairs and vision/speech/hearing support equipment; and so much more!"
Dark blue background with red, white, and bright blue text that reads "Call & Visit Today (and every day)! Call and visit your representatives. Congressional Switchboard: (202) 224-3121. Share how Medicaid impacts you and your child. Tell them “No Cuts, no caps, no changes to medicaid!” "
Bright yellow outline of California on a bright blue background. Bright yellow text on bright blue background reads "Medicaid is vital for California!" Bottom of the page has smaller text that reads "www.familyvoicesofca.org" and "#Handsoffmedicaid"
Bright blue background with bright yellow text that reads "Medi-cal is California's Medicaid Program. Medi-cal covers 15.28 million people as of September 2022, about 40% of California's population."
Bright blue background with bright yellow text that reads "California kids with disabilities need Medi-Cal. 5 million children depend on Medi-Cal in California, including 980,000 Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN). All kids, especially our most vulnerable kids, depend on Medicaid!"
Bright blue background with bright yellow text that reads "Medi-Cal Funds Regional Centers, Early Start, Special Education and More. In California, many other critical programs for children with disabilities and complex medical needs receive money through Medicaid including: Regional Centers (Early Start services, Respite Care, Supported Living, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Speech, Nursing, Behavioral and Mental Health, etc.), California Children’s Services (CCS), In-Home Supported Services (IHSS), Special Education services, Behavioral and Mental Health, and more."
Bright blue background with bright yellow text that reads "Medicaid Funds Children’s Hospitals! Medicaid provides more than 50% of funding for children’s hospitals. Children's hospitals are at the core of the health care delivery system for children, bringing together teams of specialists to provide care not available in any other setting. Even if you have private insurance, Medicaid cuts will impact you!"
Bright blue background with bright yellow text that reads "Medicaid is Essential for Californians! California’s 2024-2025 budget has $161 billion for Medi-Cal, roughly half of which is funded by the federal government. Federal Medicaid cuts would force millions of Californians to lose Medi-Cal coverage, experience worse health outcomes, increase medical debt, and push families into financial insecurity. Medicaid cuts would be devastating for California!"
Bright blue background with bright yellow and white text that reads "Call & Visit Today (and every day)! Call and visit your representatives. Congressional Switchboard: (202) 224-3121. Share how medicaid impacts you. Tell them “no cuts, no caps, no changes to medicaid!”"

Here are some other places to get more information about Medicaid as well as the Impact of Any Proposed Changes:

DREDF

Families USA

Caring Across Generations

SEIU

Disability Rights CA

The Arc

Partners in Health

UC Berkeley Labor Center

Kids Data

Healthcare.gov

DHCS (CA)

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