IS Sends Letter Urging Congress to Pass the Emergency Health Care Relief Act

The Senate Finance Committee has approved the bipartisan Emergency Health Care Relief Act (S. 1716), which would provide immediate Medicaid coverage for a temporary period for low-income survivors of Hurricane Katrina, as well as a mechanism for survivors with private heath insurance to maintain their coverage. Several Senators on the Finance Committee have expressed their intention to move ahead with this legislation despite opposition from the White House.

Independent Sector strongly supports this legislation and feels that it is imperative to get this assistance to the survivors of Hurricane Katrina as quickly as possible. Further, we think it is essential that the Federal government cover the costs of additional Medicaid coverage for Katrina survivors. IS sent the letter below in support of this legislation to Congressional leaders on October 6th. A similar letter was sent to the White House.

Letter To House and Senate Leadership

The Honorable William H. Frist
Majority Leader
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510-7010

The Honorable Harry Reid
Minority Leader
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510-7020

Dear Senator Frist and Senator Reid:

Independent Sector and the undersigned charitable organizations are writing in support of the bipartisan Emergency Health Care Relief Act (S. 1716) that would provide immediate Medicaid coverage for a temporary period for low-income survivors of Hurricane Katrina and an effective means for survivors with private heath insurance to maintain their coverage. We join the Senate Finance Committee Leaders, the National Governors Association, the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, and many other organizations in endorsing this legislation and urge its passage without further delay.

There is a consensus among the array of charitable organizations engaged in responding to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, the leaders of state and local governments in the Gulf Coast, and our leaders in Washington that it is absolutely essential to assure the hurricane survivors access to health care right away. We firmly believe that the bipartisan Emergency Health Care Relief Act, introduced by Senators Grassley and Baucus and passed by the Senate Finance Committee, is the most effective response to this critical need and would be among the most important actions Congress can take right now to respond to this national crisis.

This legislation would allow disaster survivors to temporarily access Medicaid coverage without the need for a waiver and would suspend current rules to allow states to provide additional mental health and home health care. It would provide, on a temporary basis, full federal funding of Medicaid coverage for disaster victims as well as the associated administrative costs. In addition, it would provide an effective mechanism to allow individuals to preserve their private health insurance coverage. These provisions are vitally important since most hurricane survivors were forced to flee their homes without medications, medical records, or basic residency documentation, making it all but impossible for them to prove their eligibility for medical assistance. This is an important action that only the federal government can take.

In host communities where evacuees now reside, medical facilities are overwhelmed by the sheer volume of new patients and state budgets cannot absorb the cost of their care. These states are already hard-pressed to meet the health care needs of their own residents and should not have to bear the additional cost of coverage for newcomers. Charitable organizations also have mobilized to offer as much aid and comfort as possible, but the cost of providing medical care for so many is beyond the capacity of charities. The federal government is in a position to shoulder this responsibility in the short-term, at least until people are able to find new jobs and regain their financial independence.

The Emergency Health Care Relief Act is urgently needed. Independent Sector and the undersigned organizations offer our strong support and urge the Senate and the House to enact this critical legislation as quickly as possible.

Sincerely,

Independent Sector
Alliance for Children and Families
American Health Quality Association
American Lung Association
American Red Cross
Association of Jewish Family & Children's Agencies
Big Brothers/Big Sisters of America
California Association of Nonprofits
Center for Non-Profit Corporations
Community Relations Council of the Jewish Federation of San Antonio
Donors Forum of Chicago
Family and Community Service of Delaware County
Family Services of NW PA
Florida Association of Nonprofit Organizations
Goodwill Industries International, Inc.
Habitat for Humanity International
Jewish Community Relations Committee of The Birmingham Jewish Federation
Jewish Federation of Greater Dallas
Jewish Federation of Greater Houston's Community Relations Committee
Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Chicago
Louisiana Association of Nonprofit Organizations
Maryland State Association of United Ways
Metropolitan Family Service, Portland, Oregon
Michigan League for Human Services
National Coalition on Black Civic Participation
National Council of Nonprofit Associations
Oxfam America
Pennsylvania Association of Nonprofit Associations
Ruach, Inc.
UJA-Federation on New York
United Jewish Communities
United Way of America
United Way of Central Carolinas
United Way of Central Maryland
United Way of Central Jersey
United Way of Florida
United Way of Greater Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky
United Way for the Greater New Orleans
United Way of the Greater Seacoast
United Way of Greater Topeka
United Way of Illinois
United Ways of Texas
Vermont Alliance of Nonprofit Organizations
Volunteers of America
YMCA of the USA

cc: Senator Charles Grassley, Chair, Senate Finance Committee
Senator Max Baucus, Ranking Member, Senate Finance Committee
Representative Roy Blunt, Majority Leader, U.S. House of Representatives
Representative Nancy Pelosi, Minority Leader, U.S. House of Representatives
Members of the United States Senate

Last Updated: October 7, 2005

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