***MEDIA ADVISORY FOR THURSDAY, MAY 4 AT 9:30 AM ET***
Washington, DC – On Thursday, May 4, 2023, at 9:30 AM ET, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), U.S. Representative Debbie Dingell (D-MI-06), and Theo Braddy, Executive Director of the National Council on Independent Living, will join Protect Our Care for a press conference to discuss how the end of the Medicaid continuous coverage requirement would affect people with disabilities. The speakers will talk about the responsibility governors have to use their authority and resources to ensure those with disabilities counting on Medicaid do not lose coverage due to burdensome paperwork and red tape.
Congress passed legislation at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic to protect access to Medicaid by ensuring no one could be disenrolled during the public health emergency. This provision expired on April 1, and an estimated 15 million people could lose coverage. Medicaid covers 45 percent of nonelderly adults with disabilities – that’s 10 million people, including people with physical disabilities, developmental disabilities, and brain injuries. Additionally, Medicaid is an important source of coverage for people with mental health and substance use disorders.
The Biden-Harris administration provided guidance to states to assess eligibility in a way that will minimize coverage losses, particularly for children, pregnant women, seniors, people of color, people with disabilities, rural Americans, and others who rely on the Medicaid program for their health care. In addition to the challenges from Medicaid unwinding, House Republicans passed their Default on American Act, threatening to throw millions off of their coverage and to create more administrative burdens for states as they work on redeterminations of Medicaid eligibility.
PRESS CALL:
WHO:
U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA)
U.S. Representative Debbie Dingell (D-MI-06)
Theo Braddy, Executive Director, National Council on Independent Living
Leslie Dach, Founder and Chair, Protect Our Care
WHAT: Virtual Press Conference
WHERE: Register for the Event Here.
WHEN: Thursday, May 4 at 9:30 AM ET