Too long to wait!

Congress is in the process of deciding how much money to allocate for Medicaid Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) in the recently proposed $3.5 Trillion spending package, and it needs to hear from the disability community NOW! Medicaid HCBS has been grossly underfunded for decades, and the problems with the HCBS system have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. We finally have a chance to make a significant investment in HCBS but we need to fight for it! Both President Biden’s American Jobs Plan and the Better Care Better Jobs Act (BCBJA) (S. 2210/H.R. 4131) proposed an unprecedented yet critically necessary $400 Billion investment in the infrastructure of Medicaid HCBS to provide much-needed funding for states to assist people with disabilities and their caregivers to access services, get off long waiting lists, receive better quality care, and to address the longstanding direct care workforce crisis. Despite the dire need for this funding and grassroots advocacy, this money is not part of the current bipartisan infrastructure bill that will be voted on shortly. Last week, the Senate Democratic leadership announced that they reached an agreement on a $3.5 Trillion budget resolution that they will move through the budget reconciliation process. Although some Senators are supporting the inclusion of HCBS funding in the budget reconciliation package, they are proposing to scale back the amount of investment in Medicaid HCBS from $400 Billion to $150 Billion. The full $400 Billion is necessary to fund expanded access to Medicaid HCBS for people with disabilities on waiting lists and to address the direct care workforce crisis. This funding is long overdue! Please call or email your Senators and Representatives and urge them to include and prioritize the full $400 Billion investment in HCBS proposed by the Better Care Better Jobs Act in the current budget reconciliation package. Please share your story on how HCBS impacts you and your family. Call your Members of Congress: Call the Capitol Switchboard at: (202) 224-3121 (voice) or (202) 224-3091(tty) and ask to be connected to your Senators. You can use this easy tool to find your members of Congress. Thank you for your advocacy efforts! The NDSC Policy & Advocacy Team