Over 100 Organizations Ask Congress to Establish Emergency Medicaid for Katrina Survivors

Organizations Also Advocate for the Indefinite Postponement of Cuts in Entitlement Programs in the Budget Reconciliation Process

Washington, D.C. - Families USA, along with over 100 other organizations, delivered a joint letter to Congress today urging members to establish emergency Medicaid for Katrina survivors (see attached letter).

The letter, which was signed by health care providers, religious groups, and organizations representing the elderly, children, people with disabilities, and others that rely on Medicaid as their health safety net, requests that Congress streamline eligibility requirements and ease documentation requirements to remove administrative barriers for survivors trying to get health care services.

The letter also points out that, as different states are extending help to the people displaced by the hurricane, it is essential that the federal government provide full financial support for emergency Medicaid so that these states can provide medical and mental health care and not be financially penalized for it. 

“The priority now is to assist the thousands of people displaced by the storm so they can gain access to health care services,” said Ron Pollack, Executive Director of Families USA. “Now is not the time to cut the Medicaid program—the safety net for people with disabilities, the elderly, and families with children—but to do everything possible to strengthen it.”

The letter urges Congress to indefinitely postpone cuts in entitlement programs in light of the events and to focus on providing funding for those affected by Katrina.

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Families USA is the national organization for health care consumers. It is nonprofit and nonpartisan and advocates for high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans.

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202-628-3030 · Email: info@familiesusa.org · www.familiesusa.org