[Colorado-talk] FW: WHAT YOU CAN DO TODAY to keep people with disabilities free and alive.

Tue Jun 27 16:37:28 UTC 2017

This ust be what Lorinda was mentioning in her message.  Please keep calling and sending messages to Gardner.

Thanks,

Scott

From: Julie Reiskin [mailto:jreiskin at ccdconline.org] 
Sent: Tuesday, June 27, 2017 8:52 AM
To: slabarre at labarrelaw.com
Subject: WHAT YOU CAN DO TODAY to keep people with disabilities free and alive. 

Dear Members:  

We should know very soon if the Senate will vote to hurt us badly enough to cause the second eugenics movement --which will happen if Medicaid funds are strangled and capped and states have to spend less.   YOU CAN HELP STOP THIS TODAY --ADAPT and others are sitting in at Gardner's office in Downtown Denver.  They will be there indefinitely and you can support their important work and if you are not in Denver you can call--or visit your local office TODAY.  Senator Gardner has not said yet whether he will support this awful bill.  He needs to keep hearing from people.   I am attaching the ADAPT Press Release. 

In Colorado that is $340 million the first year.   This would need to come out of optional benefits.  The top spending in optional benefits in Colorado are 

1.	-Home and Community Based Services, 
2.	-Mental Health 
3.	-Prescription Drugs

Medicaid is unlikely to stop funding drugs but can limit drug access severely.  They are unlikely to cut mental health because the mental health industry has a strong lobby (we do not support cutting either mental health or drugs).  This means cuts to HCBS or limits so strict it makes our independence impossible.   The other optional services are dental and care coordination but neither are enough to make up for the $340 million they need.  Because of TABOR, the state cannot just supplement even if it did have the money.   

Today many groups in the Metro area will be protesting at Senator Gardner's office.   It is my hope that the protest can turn into a celebration.  It is imperative that his phones ring off the hook ALL DAY LONG.   Contact information is below.  Please call DC and your local office.  If you have fax capabilities fax.  The message is 

1) This bill will destroy Medicaid for people with disabilities and cause states to ration care hurting the most severely disabled.  

2)  This bill does not fix the problems with the Affordable Care Act.  Most people will end up being forced to spend MORE on health care, especially people in RURAL areas and anyone between the ages of 50 and 65.   One analysis had a 62 year old making about $52,000 a year having to spend more than $20,000 on health care costs.  

3) This bill cannot be fixed, it was rushed, it is not workable.  Please vote NOT TO PROCEED and work with Senators Heller and Bennet and other moderates from both sides, the bipartisan Governor's group and those of us directly affected to come up with something that works for everyone.  This will take time.   You promised to fix the problems and doing so properly takes time and collaboration. 

WHAT HAPPENS NOW:   The bill will be introduced in the Senate and the first thing that happens is the Senate has to vote to proceed.   If they cannot get enough votes to proceed it stops for now.  THIS IS WHAT WE WANT, A NO VOTE ON PROCEEDING.  If they do proceed they have 20 hours of debate where they can do amendments.  These amendments will not have been made public or discussed or analyzed by anyone.  Then in 20 hours, they vote on the bill.  TODAY WE ASK that Gardner vote NO on proceeding.  'Contact info for each office is here:

Pueblo 503 N. Main Street, Suite 426  Pueblo, CO 81003

Phone: (719) 543-1324  Fax: (202) 228-7174

Colorado Springs 102 S. Tejon Street, Suite 930 Colorado Springs, CO 80903

Phone:(719) 632-6706 Fax: (202) 228-7176

Denver 1125 17th Street, Suite 525 Denver, CO 80202

Phone: (303) 391-5777 Fax: (202) 228-7171

Grand Junction 400 Rood Avenue, Federal Bldg., Suite 220 Grand Junction, CO 81501

Phone: (970) 245-9553 Fax:  (202) 228-7173

Greeley 801 8th Street, Suite 140A Greeley, CO 80631

Phone: (970) 352-5546 Fax: (202) 228-7172

Fort Collins 2001 S. Shields Street, Building H Fort Collins, CO 80526

Phone: (970) 484-3502

Yuma 529 North Albany Street, Suite 1220 Yuma, CO 80759

Phone: (970) 848-3095 Fax: (202) 228-7175

Durango 329 S. Camino Del Rio, Suite I Durango, CO 81303

Phone: (970) 259-1231 Fax: (970) 259-4276

DC Phone: (202) 224-5941 Fax:  (202) 224-6524

https://www.gardner.senate.gov/contact-cory/email-cory <http://email.civicore.com/wf/click?upn=h1KXubQfl3jDru2eeWSGXKaqvQS2JxzOhnCBuYy05XKCWKFT9HxEsDVqWiPfw6kByRkkqQ39Y9-2Fs-2FvCHsbwIUQ-3D-3D_-2BPR8hJ9LgnI-2Bx-2BIyI4VtXlHXLpNWhoMubQ1ReCW06WJQh9-2FJFA1zsq2rq6pjcGSGYI-2BNSco4dpDhyiNbtCNwwk8aQFtxPvWS6Ydzfytew-2F-2FRcZBZX0uahPm44MH-2Fuw-2BRUBDotiTVrg6qSJsucRDlKSVlUGo5jD68cXn38Z4MBhdqzHe3hbLFxsiYr64vLPys1qHf6G8ma2q5clOl-2BXbFyY3RRTUqSYSXtoLwt3-2BSvcOwHwxDisK6L-2Fq3NZKS60h6> 

Thank you for your efforts ----we appreciate each and every one of you!

In Solidarity and Freedom for ALL People with Disabilities 

Julie

  <http://email.civicore.com/wf/open?upn=-2BPR8hJ9LgnI-2Bx-2BIyI4VtXlHXLpNWhoMubQ1ReCW06WJQh9-2FJFA1zsq2rq6pjcGSGav6uR-2B2eHVWbpgcNaKaVBbOEJ0g0aAJlPv3IhUa6dkTslYaYUW8ibI7-2FG3XHGLRoKjyoRwooMrdPOwgn0u-2BvPyrvyfhGjBK5fqJgl6-2FS7g0ResA-2Bd2Hh1ou8-2Bi3iD9Kh9VNgpnDyxioSUFuMoDK1ykPT60tBr5XK2hfdJfmZ-2Fu94I540PC2FMzsv-2BinqojTJ> 

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