Dear Democratic Women and Friends:
I was just sitting down to urge you all to send your valentines TODAY to Governor McCrory supporting Medicaid Expansion. And so I took one last spin through my email to see what the latest was…and what did I find: the Governor released a statement this afternoon saying that Medicaid expansion is “not in the best interests of North Carolina.” The issue, according to McCrory, is that North Carolina is not ready to expand Medicaid. Here’s what he said in his release:
1) In light of recent Medicaid audits, the current system in North Carolina is broken and not ready to expand without great risk to the taxpayers and to the delivery of existing services to those in need. We must first fix and reform the current system.
2) The potential long-term cost to the North Carolina taxpayer and needed flexibility for reform cannot be determined based upon the information and details provided to us by the federal government.
3) Due to the ongoing political uncertainty of the federal budget deficit, there is long-term concern regarding the federal government's continuing of its obligation for matching funds under the terms of the Medicaid expansion.
Here’s what Adam Linker wrote in the Progressive Pulse: It feels a bit like legislative leaders took Gov. McCrory to the edge of a cliff and asked if he would prefer to jump or be pushed off. This morning he decided to jump.
I say we need to see what we can do to provide some countervailing pressure to the Legislature. It’s one thing to decide to sacrifice your own life. But quite another to sacrifice the lives and well-being of millions of North Carolinians who the Governor pledged to serve when he took office. And for what? There’s not a single good substantive argument here. It looks like petty partisan politics to me.
So please do send those valentines and emails and letters to the Governor ASAP.
Tell him he needs to put North Carolina first and support the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act for three important reasons:
1. It provides health care to at least 500,000 currently uninsured low income North Carolinians.
2. It supports as many as 25,000 new jobs in health care in North Carolina in order to serve those 500,000 newly insured.
3. It pays for almost all of this with federal money. One hundred percent over the first three years. Then down to 90% after that, for an estimated infusion of Federal dollars into North Carolina of $20 Billion dollars over the next 10 years.
That’s why other states with Republican Governors said yes: in these hard times no one can afford to turn down billions of dollars in what is essentially health care stimulus funding. Well almost no one. Our Governor seems prepared to jump off the cliff.
Will you write him today? Let’s flood his mailbox with cards and letters:
Governor Pat McCrory
Office of the Governor
20301 Mail Service Center
Raleign, NC 27699-0301
Phone: 919-733-3451
And please send this request on to all your friends and colleagues – particularly those who live outside Durham County.
Ask them to write the Governor – and their State Representatives too, with the same message: Say Yes to the Medicaid Expansion. You can find your State Rep’s contact information athttp://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/members/memberList.pl?sChamber=House
But we’ve got to act fast. The House is scheduled to vote on Senate Bill 4 by Thursday – and then once the Senate and House have agreed on compromise language, the bill will go to the Governor to sign. They are trying to do this before we have a chance to stop them. So please stop whatever else you are doing and weigh in now.
If you need more information check out the WRAL Capitol Line at http://www.wral.com/mccrory-backs-bill-to-stop-medicaid-expansion/12095491/
Or North Carolina Justice Center at http://www.ncjustice.org/?q=nc-justice-news-unemployment-vote-today-mccrory-rejects-medicaid-expansion-honoring-restaurant
Together we CAN make a difference.
Sondra
Sondra G. Stein
President
Durham Democratic Women
I was just sitting down to urge you all to send your valentines TODAY to Governor McCrory supporting Medicaid Expansion. And so I took one last spin through my email to see what the latest was…and what did I find: the Governor released a statement this afternoon saying that Medicaid expansion is “not in the best interests of North Carolina.” The issue, according to McCrory, is that North Carolina is not ready to expand Medicaid. Here’s what he said in his release:
1) In light of recent Medicaid audits, the current system in North Carolina is broken and not ready to expand without great risk to the taxpayers and to the delivery of existing services to those in need. We must first fix and reform the current system.
2) The potential long-term cost to the North Carolina taxpayer and needed flexibility for reform cannot be determined based upon the information and details provided to us by the federal government.
3) Due to the ongoing political uncertainty of the federal budget deficit, there is long-term concern regarding the federal government's continuing of its obligation for matching funds under the terms of the Medicaid expansion.
Here’s what Adam Linker wrote in the Progressive Pulse: It feels a bit like legislative leaders took Gov. McCrory to the edge of a cliff and asked if he would prefer to jump or be pushed off. This morning he decided to jump.
I say we need to see what we can do to provide some countervailing pressure to the Legislature. It’s one thing to decide to sacrifice your own life. But quite another to sacrifice the lives and well-being of millions of North Carolinians who the Governor pledged to serve when he took office. And for what? There’s not a single good substantive argument here. It looks like petty partisan politics to me.
So please do send those valentines and emails and letters to the Governor ASAP.
Tell him he needs to put North Carolina first and support the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act for three important reasons:
1. It provides health care to at least 500,000 currently uninsured low income North Carolinians.
2. It supports as many as 25,000 new jobs in health care in North Carolina in order to serve those 500,000 newly insured.
3. It pays for almost all of this with federal money. One hundred percent over the first three years. Then down to 90% after that, for an estimated infusion of Federal dollars into North Carolina of $20 Billion dollars over the next 10 years.
That’s why other states with Republican Governors said yes: in these hard times no one can afford to turn down billions of dollars in what is essentially health care stimulus funding. Well almost no one. Our Governor seems prepared to jump off the cliff.
Will you write him today? Let’s flood his mailbox with cards and letters:
Governor Pat McCrory
Office of the Governor
20301 Mail Service Center
Raleign, NC 27699-0301
Phone: 919-733-3451
And please send this request on to all your friends and colleagues – particularly those who live outside Durham County.
Ask them to write the Governor – and their State Representatives too, with the same message: Say Yes to the Medicaid Expansion. You can find your State Rep’s contact information athttp://www.ncleg.net/gascripts/members/memberList.pl?sChamber=House
But we’ve got to act fast. The House is scheduled to vote on Senate Bill 4 by Thursday – and then once the Senate and House have agreed on compromise language, the bill will go to the Governor to sign. They are trying to do this before we have a chance to stop them. So please stop whatever else you are doing and weigh in now.
If you need more information check out the WRAL Capitol Line at http://www.wral.com/mccrory-backs-bill-to-stop-medicaid-expansion/12095491/
Or North Carolina Justice Center at http://www.ncjustice.org/?q=nc-justice-news-unemployment-vote-today-mccrory-rejects-medicaid-expansion-honoring-restaurant
Together we CAN make a difference.
Sondra
Sondra G. Stein
President
Durham Democratic Women
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