Legislature Ltr re S338/HR985 Bill

This is a letter I wrote 02/18/05 and sent to my legislatures regarding this upcoming bill submitted urging the creation of a Commission to evaluate the Medicaid program and recommend improvements thereof:

I am writing tonight to urge you to please cosponsor the S338/HR985,
bipartisan legislation proposed by Senators Gordon Smith and Jeff Bingaman and Representatives Heather Wilson and Donna Christensen
regarding the imperative creation of a commission of experts to
evaluate Medicaid and recommend improvements, prior to altering the program or implementing funding cuts.

Medicaid is the dominant source of funding for treatment and support
services for children and adults in this country living with mental
and whole health illnesses. Medicaid is projected to cover 60% of
public mental health spending as of 2010 and currently covers 50% of
spending. Additionally, it is a safety net program protecting the most
vulnerable populations who are struggling with chronic and severe
disabilities, such as mental illness.

Unfortunately, at our state level, Medicaid is under severe stress,
and state spending will likely continue to decrease in the near
future. In light of these cuts, the long-term health of the Medicaid
program is of great concern to NAMI (the National Alliance for Mental Illness) and to myself and my family as
well. It is of critical importance that Medicaid remains a core
funding source for people in need of mental and whole health care.
Action must be taken to ensure that the program is reformed
efficiently and effectively to meet the needs of all of those who rely
on it for their treatment needs.

The harsh economic times even have people who do not qualify for
Medicaid because they work; even if their "work" entails being
underemployed and barely able to scrape enough to make ends meet in
the first place. Medicaid, as it stands today, does not even but meet
a very small portion of the society who needs health care assistance.
Presently, in order to qualify, you must be near desitute -- and, it
forms a catch- 22 aspect in that, while you finally get the health
care assistance, it doesn't mean that it will necessarily help you
with the rest of the cost of living expenses as well. What does that
say about the quality of life that we, as a society, put upon the care
and life standards of each member of the society. Soon, it will become
just a matter of the survival of the fittest. Is that how we want to
be remembered -- a heartless, uncaring society????

Of course, we don't want fraudulant claims nor those who just take the
easy way out; however, there are many who go unserved by the way the
Medicaid program is presently structured. Something MUST be done to
regain a healthy society. After all a healthy society also makes a
strong, vibrant workforce; and, a strong, vibrant workforce is, in
turn, a good influence upon a strong economy. Everything dominoes upon
one another; to have a strong economy once again, we must look at the
roots of the problem - - and Medicaid reform is one of the many
solutions that will aid in bringing back our economy.

There is a Bible story that, in the end, the person who was most
prosperous had given the most; well, the Medicaid situation is a very
similar situation. I sincerely, believe that we will never regain our
economic strength, unless there is something given. With so many cuts
in the financial fundings, there is nothing left to give any more
(just like the gambit played in the DVSA (domestic violencem, sexual
assault) matters where the funding for the shelters is quite dismal at
this point in time and reaching critical need to help the DVSA victims
(but, that is another pulpit for another day!!).

S338/HR985 is intended to establish a bipartisan commission on
Medicaid. This is a critical step in helping the federal government
and the states promote policies that will improve the program and
ensure that it maintains its role in serving the needs of low-income
Americans with severe disabilities and health needds. I urge you to
support this important legislation. A Bipartisan Commission on
Medicaid is key to maintaining this vital program serving the nation's
most vulnerable citizens.

Please consider this legislation as a means to many ends; to help fix
the medicaid issue (along with some other issues as well) will aid to
put the whole picture of our strong economic system back together.
Right now, we need to start putting the pieces back together and one
of the best ways to do so is by restructuring the Medicaid program so
that it may continue to help those who are deserving of doing so,
which it was originally designed to do. The function has truly been
lost and needs desperately to find its footing in society once again.

Thank you, in advance, for taking these important issues into
consideration and for doing your part to make our society a better
place to live in.