Family Voices Indiana

June 9, 2017Kelly Whitener, Tricia Brooks

Fifty years ago, after learning that half the young men drafted for the Vietnam War failed baseline health exams, the federal government instituted Medicaid’s comprehensive, pediatrician-recommended benefit standard for children known as Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment (EPSDT).
The federal benefit standard in Medicaid ensures that low-income and vulnerable children receive the health care services they need to grow and thrive. But this standard is at risk. Proposed cuts to Medicaid and CHIP funding could make EPSDT unaffordable to states. In turn, proposed changes to federal policy, including legislative and administrative action, could potentially give states the option to eliminate the standard except as it applies to children with disabilities.
In our new EPSDT brief, we explain why such a move would be shortsighted as children with serious disabilities make up only a small share of children enrolled in Medicaid and …

The most effective thing you can do is to call or meet with your Senators and Representative. Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121
But here are some other advocacy options:
Stories and photos have major power. Print out this #SaveMedicaid Poster and use the blank space to write how cuts and caps to Medicaid will affect you. Take a selfie while holding your sign and post it to social media, tagging #SaveMedicaid and your Member of Congress (find your Members of Congress and their twitter account here). 
Here are some helpful tweets, pre-written for you to copy/paste into a tweet: Cutting and capping Medicaid is dangerous for PWD #SaveMedicaidInnovation needs funding. Cutting Medicaid isn’t the answer. #SaveMedicaidMedicaid helps PWD live lives like everyone else #SaveMedicaidWe want to live in our homes, not nursing homes! #SaveMedicaid #NoCutsNoCapsFederal cuts and caps will shift costs onto PWD & families – People who are already struggling #SaveMedicaidLess money means LESS flexibi…

from IAUW:

On My Way Pre-K expansion counties announced During the 2017 legislative session, the On My Way Pre-K program was expanded to fifteen additional counties through HEA1004.  The legislation asked the state to select counties that demonstrated readiness to support the program based on community need, capacity of high-quality providers and community support.  On Wednesday, the state announced the fifteen expansion counties that will be joining the five existing counties (Allen, Jackson, Marion, Lake and Vanderburgh) in providing pre-k scholarships to low-income four-year-olds.  The new counties include Bartholomew, DeKalb, Delaware, Elkhart, Floyd, Grant, Harrison, Howard, Kosciusko, Madison, Marshall, Monroe, St. Joseph, Tippecanoe and Vigo. These communities are now gearing for implementation which includes securing local contributions of a minimum of 5% of the state's total investment in that county's program.
View Governor Holcomb's press release on the expansion o…

Our advocacy over the next 2 weeks is critical – the Senate is moving quickly and plans to vote on the bill the last week in June.  By all accounts, the bill is largely based off the House bill and includes per capita caps.  We must continue to put the pressure on the Senate about these cuts and caps to Medicaid through in person visits (in DC or at their home offices), phone calls, and emails.
Updates from the Hill: ·It is now clear that the Senate is moving on this bill and moving fast.  The consistent message we have heard from all of our Hill meetings over the last 48 hours is that the Senate will vote on this bill this month.  That means the next 10-14 days are essential.  We need to stop the bill in the Senate or it is very likely the bill will become the law.
Timeline as we best understand it:  ·The Senate is already starting to draft the bill and is sending draft language to be scored this week.  The Senate plans to use a swift and non-transparent process, like the House did. The …

Did you miss our chat? We partnered with CareShare and Indiana AAP to discuss early childhood resources. Find info here, or feel free to contact us at 844 F2F INFO info@fvindiana.org
[View the story "Early Childhood Resources Chat" on Storify]

by  Hannah Katch Senior Policy Analyst
By converting Medicaid to a per capita cap or block grant, the House-passed Republican bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act threatens coverage for all Medicaid beneficiaries. Here’s why: Under the House bill, the federal government starting in 2020 would no longer pay a fixed percentage of states’ overall Medicaid costs, as it does now. Instead, it would pay only a fixed amount per beneficiary, with the amount set to grow at a slower rate than the projected growth in Medicaid costs. States would therefore see less federal Medicaid funding than under current law, with the cuts growing each year. The per capita cap establishes separate funding caps for seniors, people with disabilities, children, other adults, and adult expansion enrollees, and states receive an overall amount of funding that’s the sum of each population’s per capita cap multiplied by actual Medicaid enrollment in each such population group. That means that even if the cap amount…

Many groups around the country have been organizing events to defend health care in America. Now, we’ve all joined forces to declare June 6th a national Day of Action to #SaveMedicaid – and we need YOU to get in on the action. Here’s how you can get involved: Join a rally.If you’re in the DC area, there’s a rally planned for 11:30am. Find out more details here.Not in DC? Click here to find out about rallies planned in other parts of the country.If you can’t attend a rally, don’t worry – there are many other ways you can take action that are just as important. We need to get our message across to Congress in as many ways as possible. Here’s what else you can do: Call your Senators.You can find your Senators’ contact information by entering your ZIP code at contactingcongress.org. If you find it easier to leave an answering machine message than to talk to a staffer on the phone, you can call after work hours, and your message will still be counted. If you don’t speak, you can call using y…

Indiana Title V Family Delegate The IN Title V Family Delegate is an active advocate and model of family leadership for all families with special health care needs statewide and represents Indiana on a national level. The Title V Family Delegate is responsible for providing the parent perspective to the IN Title V program. The Family Delegate will serve as the lead Parent Consultant to the Children’s Special Health Care Services (CSHCS) and Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Divisions at the Indiana State Department of Health (ISDH).  The primary responsibility of the delegate will be to plan for and administer the CSHCS Family Advisory Council.

Offering your time and becoming an Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP) Family Delegate will open various opportunities to meet other leaders within your state and country.  Family participation will play a major role within your program or the capacity in which you will serve. AMCHP offers Family Delegates the opportunity to r…