[Peace-discuss] Fw: There is still hope for IL Cares Rx, but we need your help!

Fri Jun 22 21:31:17 UTC 2012

Fyi

--- On Thu, 6/21/12, Nick Quealy-Gainer <noreply at list.signon.org> wrote:

From: Nick Quealy-Gainer <noreply at list.signon.org>
Subject: There is still hope for IL Cares Rx, but we need your help!
To: jencart13 at yahoo.com
Date: Thursday, June 21, 2012, 1:56 PM

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.  
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.
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).
But we need your help to make this happen!
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:
- What Rep. Jakobsson and Sen. Frerichs are doing (HB 6178 and SB 3923)
- How you can Take Action to help
And, if you need more background information, we have provided the following at the end of this message:
- Background on HB 6178 and SB 3923
- Background on state budget cuts.
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WHAT REP. JAKOBSSON AND SEN. FRERICHS ARE DOING (HB 6178 AND SB 3923)
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!  
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.  
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!  
Your hard work has paid off and you have had an impact in Springfield!  The fight continues and we need your help to contact your legislators about these bills to save prescription drug benefits for low-income seniors.
***********************
TAKE ACTION!
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.  
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.
·      You can reach your state Representative by calling 1-888-616-3322
·      You can reach your state Senator by calling 1-800-664-9903
 Sample calling script:
 “Hello. My name is ________ and I am from ___(city), Illinois___. I want to ask __(Senator/Representative)__ to save prescription drug benefits for low-income seniors by supporting the Seniors Pharmaceutical Assistance Relief Program Act, ___(HB 6178 or SB 3923)___, which would replace the IL Cares Rx program and restore prescription drug benefits for Illinois’ most vulnerable seniors.  Thank you.”
 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.
***********************
BACKGROUND ON HB 6178 AND SB 3923:
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.  
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.  
Here are some highlights of the proposed Act:

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).
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).
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).

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.  
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.
***********************
BACKGROUND ON STATE BUDGET CUTS TO MEDICAID AND IL CARES Rx:
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.
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.  
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.
********************
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND ACTIVISM!
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.  
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.
http://www.healthcareconsumers.org/index.php?action=Display%20Page&id=674
You can also like us on Facebook at:
http://www.facebook.com/healthcareconsumers
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. 
http://www.healthcareconsumers.org/index.php?action=Donation
Sincerely,
Champaign County Health Care Consumers

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