***Important Call To Action regarding Medicaid Cuts!***
Action Alert: Call your senators in Washington! 
Sustaining Ohio’s Medicaid Program
 
Bottom Line Up Front: To protect health coverage and critical state public services during the public health and economic crises, Congress must substantially increase the share of Medicaid costs paid by the federal government. 
 
Congress reconvenes on July 20. Call Senator Brown and Senator Portman to ask them to support:
·       An increase of at least 14 percentage points in each state’s FMAP (the share of a state’s Medicaid costs paid for by the federal government);
·       Extending the FMAP increase until unemployment goes down to pre-recession levels and state budgets recover; and
·       Continuing strong maintenance-of-effort (MOE) protections that prevent cuts to coverage.
 
The problem:
COVID-19 has created an interlocking health and economic crisis that is affecting people in every corner of our state. Ohio’s Medicaid program is critical to ensuring that Ohioans can get through this recession and continue to get the health care they need—especially as the COVID-19 virus surges.
 
But Ohio’s Medicaid program, and the overall state budget, is at risk. Ohio faces a $2.1 billion budget shortfall after suffering huge losses of sales and income taxes because stores had to close to slow the spread of the virus and people have less income. At the same time, with more people losing their jobs and health insurance, the need for Medicaid insurance coverage has increased — and this will continue as people move in and out of unemployment during the next 18 months (or more) of economic recovery.
 
Governor DeWine has already cut Medicaid once to try to close part of the state budget shortfall. Unless Congress provides more aid to state Medicaid programs, there could be more cuts to Medicaid in Ohio—and to other parts of the state budget, like education and public transit—and people could lose health coverage right when they need it most.
 
The Solution
Governors of both parties are calling for Congress to increase federal funding for state Medicaid programs, in addition to more direct aid to states, cities, and towns to help close budget shortfalls and prevent deep budget cuts that will hurt millions of people.
 
Additional federal support for Medicaid will serve multiple purposes:
·       It sustains health and economic security for children, people with disabilities, low-income families
and seniors;
·       It will give our state more flexibility to use state dollars for other needs and prevent cuts to programs such as education, job training, public transit, and public works programs;
·       Additional federal funds flowing into the economy will support economic recovery in every county of the state through the wages and salaries of health care workers; and
·       It will stabilize the entire health care system and help Ohio avoid harmful cuts to hospitals and providers.
 
Although Congress took steps to shore up Medicaid in the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, the FMAP increase provided in that bill is not enough and will end whenever the federal government declares the public health emergency over—even though the recession and people’s needs will go on much longer than that.
 
Ohioans and health care providers need more certainty. Congress needs to increase the FMAP by at least 14 percentage points for all enrollees for the duration of the recession.
 
Call or e-mail Senator Brown and Senator Portman and tell them to protect our health care today!
 
To Email, click on the link and then either cut and paste the following sample email with your contact information or compose your own based of the above information.
 
Senator Brown: Phone: 202-224-2315 Email: https://www.brown.senate.gov/contact
Senator Portman: Phone: 202-224-3353 Email:  https://www.portman.senate.gov/meet/contact
 
Sample email:
As your constituent, I want to thank you for the actions you have taken to support Ohio and the Medicaid program in response to the COVID-19 crisis. As you know, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act included a crucial boost to the Federal Medicaid Assistance Percentage (FMAP) and other important health policies. However, more is needed to truly address this health and economic crisis. 
 
I am counting on you to take more action to help our state get through this emergency. As Congress negotiates the next COVID-19 federal response bill, I ask you to support increasing the federal Medicaid match rate by at least 14%, with that increase sustained through the economic downturn and tied to unemployment rather than the public health emergency. Additional federal Medicaid funds flowing into the economy will support economic recovery in every county of the state through the wages and salaries of health care workers, stabilize the entire health care system, and help Ohio avoid harmful cuts to hospitals and providers.
 
Please support Medicaid, as it is a key piece to keeping our economy going and helping our community recover from COVID-19. A strong Medicaid program not only benefits Ohioans most impacted by the coronavirus crisis, but it protects the state budget as well. 
 
Thank you for your leadership and your commitment to getting Ohio through this crisis.
 

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About People First of Ohio

We believe that all people with disabilities should be treated as equal and be able to speak up for what they want by serving as leaders and working together as a team with all members of the community.

People First of Ohio assists people with disabilities who are self-advocates to talk about their needs and rights with people in their communities. Self-advocates make sure that people with disabilities have the right to do what they want in their lives, are responsible for their own choices , and have the right to live and do things in the community like other citizens.

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History

Local Chapters

People First began in Ohio in 1998 by a group of self-advocates who wanted to improve their abilities to represent themselves and to train others to be self-advocates. People First of Ohio has members from teens through adults.

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Statewide Advocacy

People First of Ohio is a statewide organization that works with state legislators and builds relationships with other advocacy groups and state agencies. These relationships promote better interaction among people who make decisions in the communities and the state. People First believes that if policymakers begin to really know people with disabilities, they will be able to make positive changes with them.

People First of Ohio helps to set up local chapters of people with disabilities who are self-advocates. The chapters focus on helping others with disabilities become self-advocates. Local Chapters work mostly on local issues and report to the state what they would like to see happen on a state/federal level.​

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Organizational Leadership

Leaders of People First of Ohio are themselves people with disabilities.  Board members  must belong to a People First Chapter in Ohio and are elected to represent their region at the state level.