ANCOR’s National Week of Action to Help #SaveMedicaid Starts Now
ANCOR
Outreach to Your Members of Congress is Needed: A Message From ANCOR
Dear ANCOR Members,
Next week, some Members of Congress will be back in their districts, making it the perfect time to meet with them and urge them to protect Medicaid funding for home and community-based services (HCBS).
The newly released House budget framework calls for 1.5 trillion in cuts over ten years and directs the House committee with jurisdiction over Medicaid to cut at least $880 billion in spending. While the details have not yet been finalized, these reductions would likely result in deep cuts to Medicaid funding. Even if proposals do not specifically target funding for I/DD services, the resulting pressure on state budgets from Medicaid cuts creates an elevated risk of further limits and cuts to services for individuals with I/DD. In-district meetings and site visits are some of the most effective ways to educate lawmakers and their staff on how these cuts would harm people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), providers, and families.
To help you prepare, we’ve put together key advocacy resources, including:
- Medicaid Cuts Fact Sheet – Key talking points on how federal Medicaid cuts shift costs to states and harm disability services.
- ANCOR Medicaid Resource Center – Data and tools to support your advocacy efforts.
- In-District Meeting & Site Visit Tool – Tips, sample meeting requests, and scripts for engaging your lawmakers.
Why Your Action Matters:
Studies show that constituent messages are the most effective way to influence lawmakers. When they see firsthand the impact of Medicaid-funded services in their communities, they are far more likely to protect funding.
Take this opportunity to reach out to your Members of Congress while they’re home next week or check their website for an email list signup to make sure you don’t miss any opportunities to engage while they are home — let’s make sure they understand why Medicaid funding must be protected.
Thank you for your advocacy.
ANCOR Announces New Medicaid Resource Center
Message from ANCOR:
ANCOR shares their new Medicaid Resource Center for targeted resources to aid in your education and advocacy efforts! Let’s work together to protect Medicaid funding from potential cuts!
The Medicaid Resource Center is a central location where you can find the most up-to-date information and resources. Included in the Medicaid Resource Center is a video Intro to I/DD Services, ANCOR’S most recent fact sheet Cuts to Medicaid Harm Disability Services, as well as highlighted reports and white papers on Medicaid trends and impacts of community-based services. In addition to the Advocacy Toolkit and the ANCOR Amplifier, please use these targeted resources available in the new Medicaid Resource Center to aid in your advocacy.
As a reminder, you can also still take our action alert urging your Senators and Representatives to reject any proposals that reduce federal Medicaid funding! Thank you and please do not hesitate to reach out if they can help in your outreach!
Lydia Dawson, JD
ANCOR | Vice President of Government Relations
571-932-5375
Second Federal Judge Issues Temporary Restraining Order
Message from ANCOR:
A second federal judge has blocked the freeze on federal spending noticed earlier in the week through a memo from OMB.
The order directs the Trump Administration not to “pause, freeze, impede, block, cancel, or terminate defendants’ compliance with awards and obligations to provide federal financial assistance to the states, and defendants shall not impede the states’ access to such awards and obligations” until further arguments can be heard.
The order does not prevent the review of federal programs, only the freeze on federal spending during the review. The OMB memo was rescinded prior to the issuance of the order, but the judge expressed earlier in the week that he was not persuaded that withdrawing the memo removed the underlying harm.
A hearing is expected Monday on the previous restraining order issued earlier in the week. We’ll keep you posted as we learn more.
Lydia Dawson, JD
ANCOR | Vice President of Government Relations
571-932-5375
Update Regarding Federal Funding Freeze
RCPA continues its efforts to update members on the White House funding freeze while partnering with the National Council for Mental Wellbeing and ANCOR in examining the implications stemming from the White House Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) January 27 memorandum temporarily freezing federal disbursements to many federal programs.
The National Council has provided the following update:
Federal agencies have been directed to fill out a spreadsheet as part of an analysis by Feb. 7 to ensure compliance with the president’s most recent executive orders. This is a breakdown of which health programs are included in this latest action.
Notably, we recognize conflicting guidance has been issued. While the above report identifies Medicaid programs, a Q&A document from the administration notes that Medicaid will continue without pause. As of Tuesday morning, all 50 states reported outages of their Medicaid online portals, and the Trump administration has stated they are aware of the outages and expect the portals to be back online shortly.
Also, several groups have taken action to block this funding freeze. As of this writing, several Democratic state attorneys general said they would ask a court to block the freeze from taking effect. Several groups representing nonprofits, public health professionals and small businesses have already filed suit in D.C. asking the court to prevent the freeze from continuing. On Tuesday evening, U.S. District Court Judge Loren L. AliKhan issued a temporary stay on the funding freeze until Feb. 3 at 5:00 pm ET.
The funding freeze may lead to project delays or cancellations, resulting in layoffs of workers involved in these programs, and may ultimately increase the unemployment rate, making it vital lawmakers understand the impact of this freeze on communities across the country.
Most notable are the concerns with the intersects of Medicaid funding though the information that has been released. The Q&A document states:
Q: Is this a freeze on benefits to Americans like SNAP or student loans?
A: No, any program that provides direct benefits to Americans is explicitly excluded from the pause and exempted from this review process. In addition to Social Security and Medicare, already explicitly excluded in the guidance, mandatory programs like Medicaid and SNAP will continue without pause.
RCPA will continue to communicate new developments with members as they emerge. If you have any questions, please contact your RCPA Policy Director.
Health Component of CR: Medicaid Buy-In Bill Included
ANCOR Issues Findings From 2024 State of America’s Direct Support Workforce Crisis Survey
Now Is the Time to Take Action on the SCO Bill
A message from our national partner ANCOR:
As you know, Congress is winding down, and we only have a few more opportunities to pass the legislation to help create a standard occupational classification for DSPs. We are so close to getting this bill across the finish line–it has passed in the Senate and has also passed in House Education and Workforce Committee. The final stop is passage in the full House of Representatives.
Please help us in reaching out to your Representative and ask them to support the Recognizing the Role of Direct Support Professionals. You can use our action alert to send that message.
We especially ask that you reach out if you have any connections with House leadership offices: Speaker Johnson, Leader Jeffries, Rep. Scalise, or Rep. Emmer. The message to those offices is to put the bill on the calendar for a vote next week.
Thank you so much for all you do and for your strong advocacy efforts. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Thanks!
Elise Aguilar
Senior Director of Federal Relations
American Network of Community Options and Resources
Alexandria, VA
(703) 535-7850
Preparing States’ I/DD Systems for Implementation of the Medicaid Access Final Rule
Thursday, December 5, 2024
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm ET
11:00 am – 12:00 pm PT
Register Here
This spring, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) finalized the highly anticipated “Ensuring Access to Medicaid Services” rule (or the “Access Rule”) that, among other things, updates program standards and processes for Medicaid home- and community-based services (HCBS), including HCBS for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD). Individuals with I/DD rely on Medicaid HCBS to support their independence and ability to live at home in their communities. The changes required by the Access Rule—and how states implement those changes—will have far reaching impact on state I/DD systems and the people they serve.
Join the Policy Information Exchange (PIE) for a discussion with state and provider experts who are thinking through their own approaches to Access Rule implementation. During the webinar, they will dive into the Access Rule’s impact on state I/DD programs, HCBS providers, and community partners, and individuals with I/DD and their families and caregivers. Specifically, they’ll discuss:
- New and updated requirements related to HCBS incident management and grievance systems, payment adequacy and transparency, access and quality reporting and disclosure.
- The implications for state I/DD systems—including challenges—as they plot a path to full implementation of the Access Rule within required timelines.
- Strategies for building effective and collaborative engagement with community partners, people receiving services, providers, case management entities, and direct care workers.
- Immediate steps that state I/DD systems should take now to assess their HCBS programs, processes, and IT infrastructure needs.
If you can’t make the live session on December 5, visit here to register for the free webinar now, and you’ll receive a link to view the program on demand.
Facilitators
- Alixandra Gould, Director, Manatt Health Strategies
- Anna Lansky, Senior Advisor, Manatt Health Strategies
Panelists
- Pete Cervinka, Acting Director and Chief Deputy Director, California Department of Developmental Services (DDS)
- Conor O’Dea, HCBS Policy Advisor, The Vermont Agency of Human Services
- Lydia Dawson, Vice President of Government Relations, ANCOR
Proposed 14(c) Regulations Released
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