<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" ><tr><td valign="top" style="font: inherit;">Fyi<br><br><font face="arial" size="2">--- On </font><b style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; ">Thu, 6/21/12, Nick Quealy-Gainer <i><noreply@list.signon.org></i></b><font face="arial" size="2"> wrote:</font><br><blockquote style="border-left-width: 2px; border-left-style: solid; border-left-color: rgb(16, 16, 255); margin-left: 5px; padding-left: 5px; "><br><font face="arial" size="2">From: Nick Quealy-Gainer <noreply@list.signon.org></font><br><font face="arial" size="2">Subject: There is still hope for IL Cares Rx, but we need your help!</font><br><font face="arial" size="2">To: jencart13@yahoo.com</font><br><font face="arial" size="2">Date: Thursday, June 21, 2012, 1:56 PM</font><br><br><div id="yiv1709997626"><p><font face="tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><br></font></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">Please take action to save Illinois Cares Rx! Illinois Cares Rx is a prescription drug benefit for thousands of low-income seniors that is on the brink of elimination. </span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">Actually, the entire IL Cares Rx prescription drug program IS being eliminated as a result of the state’s budget cuts enacted in the law that Governor Quinn signed on June 14, 2012.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">However, thanks to your activism by signing our petition when Champaign County Health Care Consumers was trying to prevent the cuts to the Medicaid program and IL Cares Rx, our Champaign County legislators have responded and are trying to save part of the IL Cares Rx program through new legislation (HB 6178 and SB 3923).</span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;"><em>But we need your help to make this happen!</em></span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">Even as we are in shock and sorrow over the devastating cuts to health and human service programs, we must do what we can to try to mitigate the damage. Now, thanks to Rep. Naomi Jakobsson and Sen. Mike Frerichs, there is an opportunity to ease some of the pain. Please read below for more information on:</span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">- What Rep. Jakobsson and Sen. Frerichs are doing (HB 6178 and SB 3923)</span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">- How you can Take Action to help</span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">And, if you need more background information, we have provided the following at the end of this message:</span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">- Background on HB 6178 and SB 3923</span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">- Background on state budget cuts.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">***********************</span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">WHAT REP. JAKOBSSON AND SEN. FRERICHS ARE DOING (HB 6178 AND SB 3923)</span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">In response to your activism, Champaign County’s Rep. Naomi Jakobsson and Sen. Michael Frerichs introduced legislation before the end of the legislative session that would essentially restore the IL Cares Rx program with slight changes to the program’s eligibility and benefits! </span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">House Bill 6178 and Senate Bill 3923 would result in preserving the prescription drug benefit for roughly 80,000 low-income seniors around the state, particularly for the most vulnerable who do not qualify for any other state or federal prescription drug programs. </span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;"><em>You should recognize and celebrate that it was YOUR phone calls, letters, and petitions that resulted in these legislators fighting to save IL Cares Rx! </em></span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;"><span style="text-transform:uppercase;">Your hard work has paid off and you have had an impact in Springfield! T</span>he fight continues and we need your help to contact your legislators about these bills to save prescription drug benefits for low-income seniors.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">***********************</span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">TAKE ACTION!</span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">Contact your state legislators and tell them to restore prescription drug benefits for low-income seniors by supporting the Seniors Pharmaceutical Assistance Relief Program Act, HB 6178 in the House and SB 3923 in the Senate. </span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">If you live in the congressional districts for Rep. Jakobsson or Sen. Frerichs, please call and thank them for introducing these important bills and responding to the needs and concerns of their constituents. For people living in other legislative districts, please call your legislators using the calling script below.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">·<span style="font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-stretch:normal;"> </span>You can reach your state Representative by calling 1-888-616-3322</span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">·<span style="font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;font-weight:normal;line-height:normal;font-size-adjust:none;font-stretch:normal;"> </span>You can reach your state Senator by calling 1-800-664-9903</span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "> <span style="text-decoration:underline;font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">Sample calling script:</span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "> <span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">“Hello. My name is ________ and I am from <span style="text-decoration:underline;">___(city), Illinois</span>___. I want to ask __<span style="text-decoration:underline;">(Senator/Representative)</span>__ to save prescription drug benefits for low-income seniors by supporting the Seniors Pharmaceutical Assistance Relief Program Act, ___<span style="text-decoration:underline;">(HB 6178 or SB 3923)___</span>, which would replace the IL Cares Rx program and restore prescription drug benefits for Illinois’ most vulnerable seniors. Thank you.”</span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;"> <strong>If you currently rely on IL Cares Rx to make your prescription drugs affordable, let them know how losing that benefit will affect you and your health.</strong></span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">***********************</span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">BACKGROUND ON HB 6178 AND SB 3923:</span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">Over the last few months, consumers and advocates like you made hundreds of phone calls to Gov. Quinn and your state legislators, and collected over 650 signatures on our petition to protect IL Cares Rx and Medicaid, sending a clear message to Springfield: “We are watching you and we will not let you get away with cutting these programs!” In Champaign County that message was heard loud and clear. Even though both Rep. Jakobsson and Sen. Frerichs voted for the SMART Act, which we were deeply disappointed about, they have responded to your demands by introducing House and Senate bills to save IL Cares Rx just days after the SMART Act was passed. </span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">House Bill 6178 and Senate Bill 3923 would not fully restore IL Cares Rx, but rather create an altered version of the program with different eligibility criteria while maintaining the original mission of providing pharmaceutical assistance to low-income seniors. The Seniors Pharmaceutical Assistance Relief Program would provide the same benefits as IL Cares Rx, but limits eligibility for the program in an effort to find some savings for the state while still providing benefits to the most vulnerable to Illinois’ seniors. </span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">Here are some highlights of the proposed Act:</span></p>
<ul style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; ">
<li><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">Prospective recipients must apply for the federal Extra Help program. Applicants with an annual income below 150% FPL ($16,755) would continue using Extra Help to pay for their prescription drugs, while those with incomes up to 200% FPL ($22,340) would qualify for the Seniors Pharmaceutical Assistance Relief Program (formerly IL Cares Rx).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">Applicants must meet the asset limit requirement ($13, 070 single, $26,120 married) needed to qualify for federal Extra Help (IL Cares Rx historically has had no asset limit).</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">The program would be limited to people 65 years of age or older (IL Cares Rx was also available for people with disabilities who are enrolled in Medicare).</span></li>
</ul>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">So there would be some big changes to the program even if the legislation passes. People with disabilities would no longer be eligible to receive prescription drug benefits, a major reason why we wanted to see IL Cares Rx preserved in its current form. Also, some people may be ineligible because their assets are too high. </span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">The state is estimating that these changes would result in half of the current IL Cares Rx enrollees being unable to enroll in the new program, or roughly 80,000 people. However, prescription drug benefits would be preserved for some of the most vulnerable seniors, particularly those who have annual incomes that are between 150 – 200% FPL and do not qualify for any other benefits through Medicaid or the federal Extra Help programs.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">***********************</span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">BACKGROUND ON STATE BUDGET CUTS TO MEDICAID AND IL CARES Rx:</span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">On May 24, the Illinois General Assembly passed the SMART Act, or SB 2840, which included $1.6 billion in cuts to Medicaid and other state programs as part of the overall FY 2013 state budget. These cuts include eliminating the IL Cares Rx program, which helps 160,000 low-income seniors in Illinois pay for prescription drugs. The bill also eliminates adult dental care for Medicaid patients, other than emergency treatment, as well as reduces vision and prescription drug benefits, cuts provider reimbursement rates, and lowers eligibility for adults to receive insurance coverage under Family Care to 133% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). Gov. Quinn signed the SMART Act into law on June 14, 2012.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">The cuts are scheduled to begin July 1, 2012, with notices being mailed out to all current IL Cares Rx, Medicaid, and Family Care enrollees last week. The so-called “SMART Act” is incredibly short-sighted and will end up costing the state much more in the long run as low-income seniors, families, and people with disabilities will need more emergency and nursing home care than ever before. </span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">There was some good news that came out of this budget disaster. A $1 per-pack tax increase on cigarettes and other tobacco products passed along with the SMART Act, which is expected to generate $350 million each year that will be federally matched. This was able to reduce to overall cuts to Medicaid from $2.7 billion to the $1.6 billion cut that was in the final budget bill. These funds were mainly used to lower the Medicaid reimbursement rate cuts for hospitals, physicians, and nursing homes.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">********************</span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND ACTIVISM!</span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">We know this is not an ideal situation for the people of Illinois who will still suffer when their Medicaid, Family Care or Illinois Cares Rx benefits are reduced or eliminated next month, but we still have something to fight for and a victory to celebrate with these bills being introduced by our own local legislators. </span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">If you would like to join Champaign County Health Care Consumers email or mailing list so you can continue to receive updates and information from us regarding this issue and other health care justice related issues, you can click on the link below and provide us with your contact information.</span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.healthcareconsumers.org/index.php?action=Display%20Page&id=674"><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">http://www.healthcareconsumers.org/index.php?action=Display%20Page&id=674</span></a></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">You can also like us on Facebook at:</span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.facebook.com/healthcareconsumers%20"><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">http://www.facebook.com/healthcareconsumers</span></a></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">Finally, please consider making a contribution to Champaign County Health Care Consumers' so we can continue our work to protect and improve programs like IL Cares Rx and Medicaid and fight for health care justice for everyone. Visit our website to make a tax-deductible contribution today. </span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.healthcareconsumers.org/index.php?action=Donation"><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">http://www.healthcareconsumers.org/index.php?action=Donation</span></a></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">Sincerely,</span></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><span style="font-family:tahoma, arial, helvetica, sans-serif;font-size:small;">Champaign County Health Care Consumers</span></p><br><font face="arial" size="2"> </font><br>
<hr style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><br>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><small>
This message was sent to Jenifer Cartwright
by Nick Quealy-Gainer from the SignOn<em>.</em>org
system.
MoveOn<em>.</em>org Civic Action sponsors SignOn<em>.</em>org,
but does not endorse specific campaigns or the contents of this message.
</small></p>
<p style="font-family: arial; font-size: 10pt; "><small>
To unsubscribe or report this email as inappropriate, click here:
<a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.signon.org/unsub.html?i=4684-4570645-TwvJLK">http://www.signon.org/unsub.html?i=4684-4570645-TwvJLK</a>
</small></p>
<font face="arial" size="2"><img src="http://www.signon.org/o?i=4684-4570645-TwvJLK" height="1" width="1"></font>
</div></blockquote></td></tr></table>