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Now is the time to raise your voice to
support immigrant inclusion in health reform.
The U.S. Senate and House of Representatives are proposing health reform
legislation that includes a number of positive features, but fails to
remove the five-year waiting period and other barriers to Medicaid for
most legal immigrants. Many immigrant children also will be forced
to remain uninsured unless Congress fixes its proposals. Please
call your senators and representatives immediately, and continue calling
and sending letters and faxes, to insist that legal immigrants be
treated fairly in all areas of health reform, and that the nation
fulfill its promise of affordable health care for all children.
You are also encouraged to visit members of Congress who will be in
their home districts this week during the recess.
You can share this
message:
I want [name of
Senator or Representative] to include immigrants in health
reform. Legal immigrants pay the same taxes as citizens, and
deserve to be treated the same as citizens in all aspects of health
reform. I want [name of Senator or Representative] to
give legal immigrants equal access to Medicaid with no waiting
periods, which means that the five year bar should be eliminated
from Medicaid. In addition, all kids deserve health care, and
health reform should allow affordable coverage for all children in
America, including immigrant kids.
Background
The current health reform
proposals by the Senate and the House of Representatives fail to remove
the federal government's 5-year waiting period that prevents most recent
legal immigrants from using Medicaid if they fall on hard times, even
though these immigrants pay the exact same taxes as citizens.
Current federal law not only prohibits undocumented immigrants from
enrolling in Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP)
and Medicare but also imposes a 5-year waiting period before low-income
adults who are legal immigrants can enroll in Medicaid or Medicare’s
“buy-in” programs.
Public opinion strongly
supports:
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Including legal
immigrants in Medicaid.
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Allowing all kids
to get affordable health coverage, including all immigrant
kids.
President Obama supports
changing the law so that legal immigrants can have Medicaid and CHIP,
and has spoken powerfully about the moral imperative that all children
in America get affordable health care. It's time for Congress to
do the right thing and follow the will of the public and the will of the
president. Barack Obama said it best:
"No child in America
should be receiving her primary care in the emergency room in the
middle of the night. No child should be falling behind at school
because he can't hear the teacher or see the blackboard. I refuse to
accept that millions of our kids fail to reach their full potential
because we fail to meet their basic needs. In a decent society there
are certain obligations that are not subject to trade-offs or
negotiations, and health coverage for our children is one of those
obligations."
It's important to note
that the House and Senate bills include important positive features that
would allow many individuals, including many immigrants, to purchase
affordable health insurance. However, these proposals fail to
allow many low-income legal immigrants to use Medicaid, and leave
millions of immigrant children ineligible for either Medicaid or
affordable coverage under the new insurance exchange.
Please make your calls
immediately, and send letters and faxes to congressional leadership and
to each of your own U.S. senators and representatives, and meet with as
many as you can. We can't afford to lose this opportunity to
restore fairness and allow affordable health care for legal immigrants
and for all children.
Senate Majority Leader
Reid (NV): (202) 224-3542
Assistant Majority Leader Durbin (IL): (202) 224-2152
House Majority Leader Hoyer (MD): (202) 225-4131
House Speaker Pelosi (CA): (202) 225-4965
House Majority Whip Clyburn (SC): (202) 225-3315
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Waxman (CA):
(202) 225-3976
House Energy and Commerce Committee Senior Member Pallone (NJ):
(202) 225-4671
House Ways and Means Committee Chair Rangel (NY): (202) 225-4365
House Ways and Means Committee Senior Member Becerra (CA):
(202) 225-6235
House Education and Labor Committee Chair Miller (CA): (202) 225-2095
Senate Finance Committee Chair Baucus (MT): (202) 224-2651
Members of Senate Finance Committee:
Senator Rockefeller (WV): (202) 224-6472
Senator Conrad (ND): (202) 224-2043
Senator Bingaman (NM): (202) 224-5521
Senator Kerry (MA): (202) 224-2742
Senator Lincoln (AR): (202) 224-4843
Senator Wyden (OR): (202) 224-5244
Senator Schumer (NY): (202) 224-6542
Senator Stabenow (MI): (202) 224-4822
Senator Cantwell (WA): (202) 224-3441
Senator Nelson (FL): (202) 224-5274
Senator Menendez (NJ): (202) 224-4744
Senator Carper (DE): (202) 224-2441
Senator Grassley (IA): (202) 224-3744
Senator Hatch (UT): (202) 224-5251
Senator Snowe (ME): (202) 224-5344
Senator Kyl (AZ): (202) 224-4521
Senator Bunning (KY): (202) 224-4343
Senator Crapo (ID): (202) 224-6142
Senator Roberts (KS): (202) 224-4774
Senator Ensign (NY): (202) 224-6244
Senator Enzi (WY): (202) 224-3424
Senator Cornyn (TX): (202) 224-2934
Contact information to send letters and faxes to Washington and to
district offices:
Senate Finance Committee:
http://finance.senate.gov/sitepages/committee.htm
Senate Majority Leader
Reid:
http://reid.senate.gov/
Assistant Majority Leader
Durbin:
http://durbin.senate.gov/
House Majority Leader
Hoyer:
http://www.hoyer.house.gov/contact/index.asp
House Speaker Pelosi:
http://www.house.gov/pelosi/
House Majority Whip
Clyburn:
http://clyburn.house.gov/index2.cfm
House Energy and Commerce
Committee Chair Waxman:
http://waxman.house.gov/
House Energy and Commerce
Committee Senior Member Pallone:
http://www.house.gov /pallone/contact.shtml
House Ways and Means
Committee Chair Rangel:
http://rangel.house.gov/
House Ways and Means
Committee Senior Member Becerra:
http://becerra.house.gov /HoR/CA31/Contact+Xavier/
House Education and Labor
Committee Chair Miller:
http://georgemiller.house.gov/ contactus/
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