automatic cuts starting in 2013

Dear Howard,

The past few days have been bittersweet for the health care justice movement. On Monday, the 12-member, bipartisan “super committee” announced a failure to reach agreement on further reduction of the deficit. The Medicaid program was a primary target in negotiations, and cuts would have been devastating to seniors living in nursing homes, people with disabilities who receive home- and community-based services, and children for whom the program is a lifeline.

Thanks in large part to your hard work—district office visits, phone calls, emails, tweets, and sign-on letters—people on Medicaid and Medicare were spared from harmful cuts. In the end, the impasse was a fundamental difference in philosophy over revenues. Republican members were determined to use the process to extend tax breaks for the wealthiest Americans at a time when income inequality is on the rise and families are struggling to make ends meet. Unfortunately, the super committee’s failure to reach a deal means many programs important to low-income people (although not Medicaid) will see automatic cuts starting in 2013, on top of the $900 billion in cuts that Congress agreed to earlier this summer.

We all also received bad news yesterday that the National Association of Insurance Commissioners passed a resolution that would urge Congress and the Administration to exempt insurance agents and brokers from medical loss ratio calculations under the Affordable Care Act. Essentially, this recommendation would transfer more of consumers’ premium dollars away from actual medical care and weaken the protections that are a cornerstone of the law.

The events of this week foreshadow the battles we will see in the coming months. The news media and public dialogue will continue to be dominated by a conversation over our country’s values and our broader vision for the future. Will we, as a country, recommit ourselves to the American people and the essential elements—including access to health and health care—of the American dream? Or will we continue to protect tax breaks for the wealthiest 1 percent and corporate tax loopholes at the expense of the most vulnerable among us?

When I sit down with my family tomorrow at the Thanksgiving table, I will be giving thanks for my loved ones, most especially my 27-month-old grandson, and for you. Your efforts—your dedication, hard work, and sacrifice—have been and will continue to be critical to protecting Medicaid, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act. There is a tremendous amount at stake in the coming year, and Families USA looks forward to working with you every step of the way.

In gratitude,

Ron Pollack
Executive Director