Disability News Service, Resources, Diversity, Americans with Disabilities Act; Local and National.

Thursday, June 22, 2017

Disability Advocates ADAPT Protest Senate Leader Over Cuts to Medicaid for Elderly and Disabled Americans

The following is a June 22, 2017 press release from our colleagues with ADAPT.
# # #
Right now, members of the national disability rights organization ADAPT are staging a die-in at Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell's office. The activists are protesting McConnell's Senate healthcare bill, demanding he bring an end to the attacks on disabled people's freedom we expect to see.

The Medicaid caps proposed in this bill and the resulting cuts can only lead to two outcomes for the disability community: people being forced into nursing facilities and other institutions, and people dying because they cannot get the services they need. The fact that this terrible bill is being released on the 18th anniversary of the Olmstead decision is an even further affront to the disability community!

Millions of disabled Americans will be harmed if this terrible law is enacted. McConnell seems intent on pushing the legislation through regardless of the cost to our community, so we need your help to fight it! We have fought too hard for our freedom to do nothing as the Majority leader and his cronies plot to take it away from us.

Please join the fight by doing the following:

* Call the press and urge them to cover this story! Tell them about the ADAPT action, but more importantly tell them why Medicaid and healthcare are so important to you. Get them to report on all of the ways this bill will restrict our freedom and limit our lives.

* ADAPT has put out a press release: CLICK HERE

Please feel free to use this as a template for a press release on behalf of your CIL or organization!

* Call Senator McConnell's office and demand an end to any legislation that caps or cuts Medicaid! The phone number for his DC office is: (202) 224-2541 Fax: (202) 224-2499

* Call your Senators and demand they not support any legislation that caps or cuts Medicaid! You can get a hold of them through the Capitol Switchboard here: (202) 224-3121

# # #
ADAPT is a national grass-roots community that organizes disability rights activists to engage in nonviolent direct action, including civil disobedience, to assure the civil and human rights of people with disabilities to live in freedom.

No comments: