Washington Association of Churches
Action Alert
 February 24, 2004

Both the Senate and House forms of the budget came out yesterday afternoon. The Senate budget proposes funding strategies with disastrous consequences for Washington's most vulnerable!

Children's Health Insurance Premiums (CHIP)

Senate Budget: reduces premiums but does not eliminate them!

We believe premiums for children's Medicaid should be eliminated for families with incomes up to 200% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). If these premiums are implemented, families will be required to pay per child/per month $5 if there income is between 100-150% of the FPL, $10 for income between 150-200% of the FPL, and $15 for income between 200-250% of the FPL. Even $5 a month is a strain for families with incomes below 200% FPL. These families are forced to choose between buying food or paying their premiums, or keeping the heat on or paying for health insurance.

Children should not be held responsible and denied health coverage for their parent's inability to pay a monthly fee.

The Senate's handling of premiums is worse that the Governor's budget and will result in Thousands of children loosing health insurance!

General Assistance-Unemployable (GA-U)

The Senate budget will cut more than 4000 people (37% of the current caseload) off of the GA-U program by implementing a time limit on benefits. This is an excessively putative measure, as people do not have control over when they become disabled or for how long they are disabled. The General Assistance-Unemployable Program is specifically for single, childless adults who are unable to work.

45% of the caseload are mentally incapacitated, 35% are physically incapacitated and every six months they must prove that they are still unable to work. Currently, the people on this program are barely making it as it is, they receive state medical insurance coverage and a maximum of $11 a day in a cash grant. Without this benefit these people will become homeless.

There is no reason to make this kind of significant policy change in a supplemental budget year, and it isn't a fiscal issue since the senate leaves $390 million in the reserve account in their budget!

ACTION NEEDED:

CALL OR EMAIL YOUR SENATOR IMMEDIATELY! (the Budget is scheduled to be voted out of the Senate on Wednesday!) Tell your Senator that they MUST eliminate premiums up to 200% of the FPL and Fully Fund GA-U without the draconian policy change proposed in the budget!!

REMEMBER: 
You can always leave a message for all three of your legislators and the Governor at the toll free hotline (the operators can even tell you who your legislators are!) 1-800-562-6000. You can always get more information on bills at www.leg.wa.gov. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns at: kristenrogers@palm.com.