Advocacy Alerts: July 29, 2021

 

July 29, 2021 | by Emma Olson

 

Ryan McGraw

Community Organizer – Healthcare

rmcgraw@accessliving.org

(312) 640-2125

Contact Your Senator Today in Support of the Better Care Better Jobs Act

Today we are asking you to contact your US Senators to ask them to support the fully funded Better Care Better Jobs Act! We have to keep up the pressure!

This critical bill, which would invest $400 billion in home and community based services (HCBS) at a time when it is more needed than ever before, is facing major attempts to reduce the investment to a smaller number. We cannot let this happen; we must tell our Senators how important it is to invest the full amount of $400 billion and improve HCBS. 

Learn More About the Bill

The $400 billion investment is the most significant commitment that the Biden Administration committed to for people with disabilities. The Better Care Better Jobs Act would improve wages, benefits, and expand the work force of home care workers and in turn improve home services for people with disabilities and seniors. You can read a summary of the bill at this link, put together by the U.S. Senate Aging Committee. 

The Better Care Better Jobs Act aims to:

  • Enhance Medicaid funding for HCBS
  • Encourage innovative models that benefit direct care workers and care recipients
  • Support quality and accountability
  • Facilitate state planning
  • Permanent spousal impoverishment protections
  • Make the Money Follows the Person Rebalancing Demonstration permanent.

Contact Your Senators Today​! Here’s How:

For those who want to make phone calls, call ​the  SEIU action line at 877-689-2371 and enter your zip code to be connected with your Senators. Demand that the Better Care Better Jobs ​Act is fully funded to support people with disabilities and the​ir caregivers. Tell your Senators they have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build back better by passing President Biden’s care plan and make a $400 billion investment in care and care jobs. 

You can also send an email to your Senators.  Here is a quick email action link you can use to contact them.  Please consider also asking your family, friends and support workers to do this as well. Over the course of the pandemic and our national economic recovery effort, Medicaid HCBS has consistently been sent to the back of the line. The time to act is now!