For Immediate Release:
October 2, 2017
Delawareans Urge Members of Congress to Prevent Medicaid, Medicare Cuts
Press Conference at Legislative Hall in Dover, DE at 10:00 AM on October 4, 2017
National Day of Action Calls on Congress to Protect Health Care for Millions in the Budget and Reject Massive Tax Breaks for Wealthiest Americans
Dover, Delaware – After Republican senators once again spent weeks attempting to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Delawareans today urged lawmakers to vote no on any federal budget that attempts to strip health care from millions of Americans, like Ms. Smith, a 70 year old mother and Sussex county resident, who is on a fixed income and relies on Medicaid for long-term care for her disabled son. Ms. Smith, along with a few other Delaware residents, will tell personal stories about the need for Medicaid, Medicare, and affordable health care in general. Also, Delaware State Legislature elected officials who know the impact health care cuts would have on their constituents will speak on behalf of those who cannot be present, while advocates from local community organizations whom fight daily for the people of Delaware ,will gather at Legislative Hall in Dover for a roundtable press conference. During this time, participants will urge members of Congress to reject proposals that will gut life-saving Medicaid for 74 million working families, privatize Medicare, and strip state budgets of critical funding in order to pay for tax breaks for big corporations and the rich.
“Republicans in Congress appear determined to cut vital programs that help the elderly, working families, children, and people with disabilities get the care they need – regardless of who it hurts,” said Darlene Battle, Delaware Alliance for Community Advancement. “What’s even more egregious is they are using the same tactics to ram through these cuts that they used to try to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and they are doing all of this to give huge tax cuts to corporations and the very wealthy. It’s disgraceful.”
The press conference is a part of a nationwide day of action led by Health Care for America Now (HCAN) to highlight the devastating impacts of the Republican proposal which cuts $1.5 trillion from health care, especially Medicaid, while giving tax breaks to the rich and corporations.
“We’ve seen time and again that Republicans in Congress will stop at nothing to strip millions of Americans of vital care, and now they are using the budget process to make more devastating cuts to these vital programs,” said John Kowalko, Delaware State Representative. “Americans across the country rose up to beat back repeated attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and we will remain vigilant as Congressional Republicans try to gut essential health care programs to pay for tax breaks for the 1 percent.”
The proposed budget cuts would fundamentally transform Medicaid for the worse, ending its guarantee of coverage for children, seniors, and people with disabilities by taking coverage from up to 242,500 of Delaware Medicaid recipients. The Republican bill’s radical changes in Medicaid funding will cripple states faced with health emergencies like the opioid crisis. It will be up to each state alone to manage health care emergencies without additional support from the federal government.
Over 55 million people ages 65 and over and people with permanent disabilities, including 180,529 Delawareans receive government sponsored health care. But the Medicare cuts of $487 billion over 10 years and efforts to privatize Medicare through vouchers would devastate this program and leave seniors and people with permanent disabilities without an affordable option for care. Under the Trump administration’s proposed tax plan, income tax rates will be reduced by almost 5 percent, and the corporate tax rate will drop by 15 percent, among a variety of other tax breaks. These tax cuts in total will cost $1.5 trillion – the exact same amount as the health care cuts in the House budget resolution, including significant Medicaid cuts and $500 billion in new cuts to Medicare, a vital program for seniors.
The event will start at 10:00am. The Press Conference will start at 10:15am and will last 20 minutes, followed by 15 minutes for questions and answers.
A livestream will be available on the DelACA Facebook page (@DelawareAlliance).
What: Press conference to address how tax cuts for corporations and the rich will negatively affect Medicaid and Medicare.
When: October 4, 2017 at 10:00am ET
Where: Legislative Hall in Dover, DE in the Democratic Caucus Room on Second Floor
Who: Delaware Alliance for Community Advancement (DelACA), Delaware State Representatives John Kowalko and Trey Paradee, Charito Calvachi-Mateyko (coordinator, Delaware Civil Rights Coalition (DCRC)), and Delaware residents with personal stories about the effects funding cuts to Medicaid and Medicare would have on them.
Press Contact:
Darlene Battle | 302-588-1782 | dbattle@delaca.org
Kerri Harris | 240-304-0096 | kharris@delaca.org
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Delaware Alliance for Community Advancement (DelACA), was founded with the vision of promoting equity, opportunity, and dynamic democracy in partnership with innovative base-building organizations, organizing networks and alliances, and progressive unions across Delaware.