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Help STOP Harmful Cuts to MaineCare	Jaime D'Errico
	Mar 16, 2004 13:24 PST

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You can HELP to STOP Devastating Cuts to MaineCare

Let's STOP the most harmful cuts to the health care safety net proposed
so far!

These cuts would:

* Create incredible hardship and pain for THOUSANDS of Maine's
most vulnerable people (low-income, elderly and disabled)

* Affect THOUSANDS of jobs in Maine - particularly social workers
and community service providers

The proposed cuts are:

* The TOTAL ELIMINATION of the following services for ALL ADULTS
enrolled in MaineCare, including the ELDERLY and DISABLED:

a. Rehabilitative (Brain Injury)

b. Dental

c. Adult Day Health

d. Psychological Services

e. Hearing Aid Dealers

f. Physical Therapy

g. Speech and Hearing

h. Speech Pathology

i. Occupational Therapy

j. Social Worker Services

k. Prostetics/Orthotics

l. Ambulatory Care Clinical

m. Podiatric

n. Audiology

o. Optometric

p. Attendant Services

* For Adults without children at home, these cuts would mean the
TOTAL ELIMINATION of retroactive coverage, transportation and case
management services as well as LIMITS on in- and out-patient care.

You can help - It's as easy as sending an email!

1. Please write a short letter to the editor - All you have to do
is email your letter to one or more of the following newspapers:

a. Portland Press Herald: lett-@pressherald.com

b. Lewiston Sun Journal: lett-@sunjournal.com

c. Bangor Daily News: lett-@bangordailynews.net

d. Republican Journal: trjm-@courierpub.com

e. Times Record: lett-@timesrecord.com

f. Kennebec Journal/Morning Sentinel: click on
http://www.centralmaine.com/cmnforms/lettertoed.shtml to submit your
letter on-line

2. Never written a letter to the editor before? That's OK! Here
are some helpful tips:

a. Your letter to the editor should be [Michelle Small] less than
250 words long.

b. You need to include you full name and town of residence at the
end of the letter (this is for verification purposes only).

c. Submit your letter ASAP, as it typically takes a couple days to
process, and the proposed MaineCare cuts may be voted on VERY SOON.

d. Call or email me if you would like me to draft a SAMPLE LETTER
for you, or if you just want advice. Call 1-800-838-0388 and ask for
Jaime or email jder-@mainecahc.org

3. Here are some "talking points" that you can check when writing
your letter to the editor:

* These cuts are an unfair and dangerous burden to place on the
people in Maine WHO CAN LEAST AFFORD IT.

* The health and well being of Maine people should be the TOP
PRIORITY, not something that is compromised for a quick budget fix.

* People who are the NEEDIEST should not be expected to
sacrifice WHEN THERE ARE OTHER OPTIONS. Raising taxes on alcohol or
tobacco have been suggested, as well as the postponement of UNECESSARY
programs like the laptop program, which gives free laptops to ninth
graders in Maine.

* We should concentrate on controlling RISING HEALTH CARE COSTS,
not cutting SERVICES. The cost of health care is out of control, and
MaineCare covers people with some of the highest health care needs - the
elderly and disabled. We should NOT DENY the elderly and disabled
access to health care simply because they need more health care than
others do.

* MaineCare services MUST REMAIN in place because there is NO
WHERE ELSE to go. Private insurance is not an option for many people in
MaineCare, either because the private insurance companies won't insure
them because the have so many health care needs, or because low-income
people simply CANNOT AFFORD private insurance and still put food on the
table.

* Cutting services in MaineCare HURTS EVERYONE IN MAINE by
undermining our health care system. For example:

1. If people with mental health issues do not get the help they need,
Maine will end up treating them in a much more costly manner - in jails
and hospital emergency rooms.

2. If people don't get the rehabilitative or supportive services
they need THEY MAY NEVER BECOME INDEPENDENT, and may be forced to stay
on MaineCare indefinitely, costing the system much more in the long run.

3. It is estimated that Maine's economy could loose hundreds of
thousands of dollars by the elimination of THOUSANDS of jobs currently
in place to provide the services which the proposed cuts would
eliminate.

Thank you for your help!

Jaime D'Errico
Communications & Outreach Coordinator
Consumers for Affordable Health Care Foundation
P.O. Box 2490

Augusta, ME 04338-2490

Ph: 207.622.7083 Fx: 207.622.7077
Advocating the right to health care for every man, woman and child

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<div class=Section1>

You can HELP to STOP Devastating Cuts to MaineCare

Let’s STOP the most harmful cuts
to the health care safety net proposed so far!

 

These cuts would: 

<ul type=square>
<li class=MsoNormal>Create incredible hardship and pain for THOUSANDS of Maine’s
 most vulnerable people (low-income, elderly and disabled) </li>
</ul>

<ul type=square>
<li class=MsoNormal>Affect THOUSANDS of jobs in Maine
 – particularly social workers and community service providers
 </li>
</ul>

 

The proposed cuts are:

<ul type=square>
<li class=MsoNormal>The TOTAL ELIMINATION of the following services for
 ALL ADULTS enrolled in
 MaineCare, including the ELDERLY and DISABLED: </li>
</ul>

a. Rehabilitative
(Brain Injury)

b. Dental

c. Adult Day
Health

d. Psychological
Services

e. Hearing
Aid Dealers

f. Physical
Therapy

g. Speech
and Hearing 

h. Speech
Pathology

i.
Occupational Therapy

j.
Social Worker Services

k. Prostetics/Orthotics

l.
Ambulatory Care Clinical

m. Podiatric

n. Audiology

o. Optometric

p. Attendant
Services

 

§ For
Adults without children at home, these cuts
would mean the TOTAL ELIMINATION of retroactive
coverage, transportation and case management services as well as LIMITS on in- and out-patient
care. 

 

You can help - It’s as
easy as sending an email!

<ol start=1 type=1>
<li class=MsoNormal style='color:maroon'>Please write
 a short letter to the editor - All you have to do is email your letter to one or more
 of the following newspapers: </li>
</ol>

a. Portland Press
Herald: <a href="mailto:lett-@pressherald.com">lett-@pressherald.com</a>


b. Lewiston Sun
Journal: <a href="mailto:lett-@sunjournal.com">lett-@sunjournal.com</a>


c. Bangor Daily
News: <a href="mailto:lett-@bangordailynews.net">lett-@bangordailynews.net</a>


d. Republican
Journal: <a href="mailto:trjm-@courierpub.com">trjm-@courierpub.com</a> 

e. Times
Record: <a href="mailto:lett-@timesrecord.com">lett-@timesrecord.com</a>


f.
Kennebec Journal/Morning Sentinel: click on
<a href="http://www.centralmaine.com/cmnforms/lettertoed.shtml">http://www.centralmaine.com/cmnforms/lettertoed.shtml</a>
to submit your letter on-line

 

<ol start=2 type=1>
<li class=MsoNormal style='color:maroon'>Never
 written a letter to the editor before? That’s
 OK! Here are some helpful tips: </li>
</ol>

a. Your letter to
the editor should be [Michelle Small] less
than 250 words long. 

b. You need
to include you full name and town of residence at the end of the letter (this
is for verification purposes only). 

c. Submit
your letter ASAP, as it typically takes a couple days to process, and the
proposed MaineCare cuts may be voted on VERY SOON.

d. Call or email me if you would like me to draft a SAMPLE
LETTER for you, or if you just want advice. Call
1-800-838-0388 and ask for Jaime or email <a
href="mailto:jder-@mainecahc.org">jder-@mainecahc.org</a> 

 

<ol start=3 type=1>
<li class=MsoNormal style='color:maroon'>Here are
 some “talking points” that you can
 check when writing your letter to the editor:
 </li>
</ol>

§
These cuts are an unfair and dangerous burden to
place on the people in Maine WHO CAN LEAST AFFORD IT. 

§
The health and well being of Maine people
should be the TOP
PRIORITY, not something that is compromised for a quick budget fix.


§
People who are the NEEDIEST should not be expected
to sacrifice WHEN THERE ARE OTHER OPTIONS. Raising taxes on alcohol or
tobacco have been suggested, as well as the postponement of UNECESSARY programs
like the laptop program, which gives free laptops to ninth graders in Maine. 


§
We should concentrate on controlling RISING HEALTH
CARE COSTS, not cutting SERVICES. The cost of health care is out of
control, and MaineCare covers people with some of the highest health care needs
– the elderly and disabled. We should NOT DENY the elderly and disabled
access to health care simply because they need more health care than others do.


§
MaineCare services MUST REMAIN in place because
there is NO WHERE ELSE to go. Private insurance is not an option for many
people in MaineCare, either because the private insurance companies won’t
insure them because the have so many health care needs, or because low-income
people simply CANNOT AFFORD private insurance and still put food on the table.


§
Cutting services in MaineCare HURTS EVERYONE IN
MAINE by undermining our health care system. For example: 

1. If people with
mental health issues do not get the help they need, Maine will end
up treating them in a much more costly manner – in jails and hospital
emergency rooms.

2. If people
don’t get the rehabilitative or supportive services they need THEY MAY
NEVER BECOME INDEPENDENT, and may be forced to stay on MaineCare indefinitely,
costing the system much more in the long run.

3. It is
estimated that Maine’s economy could loose hundreds of thousands of dollars by the
elimination of THOUSANDS of jobs currently in place to provide the services
which the proposed cuts would eliminate.

 

Thank you for your help!

 

Jaime D’Errico 
Communications & Outreach Coordinator 
Consumers for Affordable Health Care Foundation 
P.O. Box 2490

Augusta, ME 04338-2490

Ph:
207.622.7083 Fx: 207.622.7077 
Advocating the right to
health care for every man, woman and child

 

 

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