Federal Spending Plan

Federal Spending Plan is Devastating for People with Disabilities and Will NOT Reduce the Deficit

5/25/11

Take Action!

Tell Your Senator to Vote NO!

The House of Representatives has already passed a disastrous budget that pulls the plug on people with disabilities, seniors, students, and the middle class to pay for tax cuts for millionaires. The Senate is planning on voting on this budget this week, and your Senator needs to hear from you!

This budget plan, known as the Ryan Plan after its author, Congressman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, includes drastic cuts and changes to:

Medicaid: Cuts $750 billion over 10 years and ends Medicaid as a guaranteed benefit by turning it into a “block grant” that leaves cash-strapped states to fill in the funding gaps with very little oversight.

Medicare: Replaces Medicare with a voucher program for younger beneficiaries that will certainly provide less than the current system.

Discretionary Programs: Over time eliminates most federal government programs outside of health care, Social Security, and defense as the cuts are so deep.

Health Care Reform: Repeals and defunds the Affordable Care Act.

The $4.3 trillion from all of those cuts will be used to provide $4.2 trillion in tax cuts over 10 years. Very little money will go towards deficit reduction.

What Would these Changes Mean for People with Disabilities?

There would be no guarantee of services. People with disabilities could be denied:

• health insurance coverage

• home and community based services

• supportive housing

• job training

• education

• transportation

• and much, much more

Worse yet, states could return to the days where they “warehoused” people with disabilities in institutions to save money. This would be cheaper under the Ryan plan since states will no longer have to meet the quality standards currently imposed by the Medicaid program for institutions. And waiting lists for home and community based services would grow much longer.

What Can I Do?

The Senate is set to vote on this budget THIS WEEK (5/25/11). We must let them know that this plan is just plain wrong for America. Let’s make some noise!

Please call your Senators this week. Click on the “take action” link above and enter your zip code to get their phone numbers.

What Should I Say?

• I am a person with a disability or parent, caregiver or loved one of a person with a disability. (Briefly describe your situation, if you like.)

• The Ryan Budget Plan will take funding from people with disabilities to pay for tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans. And it does almost nothing to reduce the federal deficit.

• A Medicaid block grant would be devastating for me/my family member.

• Please vote against the Ryan Budget Plan.