Medicaid on the Chopping Block

Do you know anyone who would be okay with allowing elderly women to be kicked out of nursing homes or pregnant women being unable to go to the doctor?

Some policymakers are proposing Medicaid budget cuts that would result in these unconscionable situations.

Tell President Obama to oppose any proposal that cuts or restructures Medicaid.

Right now, Congress is in the middle of important talks about the federal budget. And some of the same lawmakers who refuse to consider eliminating tax breaks for the super-duper rich seem to have no qualms about putting Medicaid, a critical program that provides access to health care for the nation's most vulnerable people, on the chopping block.

Who are some of the people who would lose access to health care?

• Women who are elderly or have disabilities: Over 4.5 million women on Medicare rely on Medicaid to cover their long-term care services.
• Disabled women: Medicaid helps half of all women with disabilities — over 4 million women — get the care they need.
• Low-income mothers and their children: A large majority of the nonelderly women enrolled in Medicaid are struggling parents, and over 25 million children rely on Medicaid for comprehensive health coverage.

For many of these women and girls, Medicaid may be the only way to get the health care they need.

Tell President Obama not to turn his back on these women and girls — tell him that Medicaid matters and to oppose any proposal that cuts or restructures this vital program.

Unless programs for low-income people are protected in the budget negotiations, women and their families will bear the brunt of the budget cuts that are likely to come as part of any deficit reduction plan. Women are more likely than men to be poor, and their families rely on programs like Medicaid, food stamps, child care assistance, Head Start, and Pell grants to get by and to succeed in life.

Let's make the economy work for women and their families. With your help, we're going to Demand Fair Change, Not Spare Change™ for women and families in the budget debate.