[Dec-advocacy] ACTION ALERT! President Threatens to Veto Bill to Delay Implementation Controversial Medicaid Regulations

[Diana J. LaRocco]

Diana J. LaRocco
DEC Governmental Relations Committee
Email: dlarocco at hartford.edu

Welcome to the DEC Advocacy List. The Division for Early Childhood (DEC) of
the Council for Exceptional Children is a non-profit membership organization
advocating for individuals who work with or on behalf of children with
special needs, birth through age eight, and their families. For more
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Please take a moment to read the important CEC message below and go to the
Legislative Action Center to send a letter to help stop these changes to
Medicaid regulations!
 
Thanks for all you do!
Sharon Walsh, DEC

Subject: ACTION ALERT!
President  Threatens to Veto Bill to Delay Implementation of Controversial
Medicaid  Regulations
 
Urge Your  Members of Congress to Take Action!
 
Despite decisive action taken  yesterday by the House Energy and Commerce
Committee to delay the  implementation of several controversial Medicaid
regulations that will  negatively impact children with disabilities; and
broad support within the  health care and education communities, the White
House has indicated its  intention to veto the Protecting Medicaid  Safety
Net Act of 2008 (HR 5613).  If Congress does not pass  legislation delaying
this implementation, many of the regulations will go into  effect on June
30, 2008, though some have already been in effect since  March.
 
During yesterday¹s review of HR  5613, Democrats and Republicans on the
Energy and Commerce Committee united to  vote in favor of this legislation
which has bi-partisan support in the House  of Representatives and Senate.
The Committee voted 46-0 to pass HR 5613,  paving the way for consideration
by the full House of Representatives.
 
CEC and its members have been  strong supporters of HR 5613 and similar
initiatives in the House and  Senate.  In fact, over the last year CEC
advocates have continued to  voice their opposition to these regulations at
strategic times throughout the  legislative process which assisted in
yielding yesterday¹s victory.
 
The Protecting Medicaid Safety Net Act of 2008   (HR 5613) seeks to continue
an existing,  congressionally-imposed moratorium on Medicaid regulations
that seek to  restrict or eliminate reimbursement for rehabilitation
services and  transportation and administrative claiming for
Medicaid-eligible students with  disabilities. While many of the regulations
stand to go into effect on June 30  regulations concerning targeted case
management already went into effect on  March 3.  This legislation would
prevent the implementation until April  1, 2009.

It is critical that CEC members  share with their members of Congress the
importance of passing this  legislation.  Visit CEC¹s  Legislative Action
Center to take action now!
<http://capwiz.com/cek/issues/alert/?alertid=11260526>
 
 
Jill  Berthiaume  
Policy  Coordinator
Policy and Advocacy  Services
Council for  Exceptional Children
703-264-9498  (P)
703-243-0410  (F)
jillb at cec.sped.org <mailto:jillb at cec.sped.org>

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