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Help Katrina Victims Get the Medical Care They Need Now!

Target: U.S. Senate, House of Representatives
Sponsored by: Consumers Union

As the hurricane victims struggle to rebuild their lives, one of their most immediate needs is access to medical care. Congress has the power to help the children, elderly, sick or people who have lost their jobs to get the health care they need by temporarily covering them under the federal Medicaid program -- without red-tape and hassles.

Under the current proposal, Katrina survivors with incomes below the federal poverty level could get coverage through a temporary five-month program with a possible extension. Congress is expected to vote very soon on this important emergency health-care relief measure.

Thats why we need your help today! The Senate has developed a bill that assures comprehensive coverage without red tape, but the House version may limit access to the program for hundreds of thousands of people. Click here for a detailed analysis of the two plans.

Don't let Congress water down this desperately needed relief! Act now by sending a letter to your representatives in both houses of Congress in support of temporary enrollment of hurricane victims in Medicaid.

deadline: 9-16-2006
goal: 7,500

9,716
signatures!

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Dear [Decision Maker],

To immediately ease the suffering of hundreds of thousands of Katrina victims, I urge you to support legislation that would provide hurricane victims with temporary access to medical care through the Medicaid program.

Providing a basic necessity such as health care to those suffering from this national disaster is vital as victims struggle to rebuild their lives.

Temporarily enrolling Katrina survivors in the Medicaid program makes sense, since it is a program operating in all of the states where victims are now living. To ensure the fastest possible coverage, Congress should waive normal documentation and eligibility requirements, and streamline and simplify the application process.

Since the majority of survivors have lost their jobs, all those with incomes now below the federal poverty level and twice that level for pregnant women and children should be eligible for Disaster Relief Medicaid.

This temporary program would be available for five months, with a possible five-month extension.
Because this is a national crisis, the federal government should cover the additional cost of these temporary enrollees and not pass these costs on to the states.

Providing hurricane victims temporary access to health care is a common-sense, compassionate step that Congress can take now to immediately relieve the suffering of hundreds of thousands of Americans.

Thank you for supporting this important measure.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]

We signed the “Help Katrina Victims Get the Medical Care They Need Now!” petition!

# 9,650:

8:20 pm PDT, Oct 14, Tomy Woodson, Florida

# 9,649:

5:57 am PDT, Oct 11, Lisa Ganter, Germany

# 9,648:

11:38 pm PDT, Oct 9, Name not displayed, Hong Kong

# 9,647:

12:15 pm PDT, Oct 9, Jimelle Austin, Kansas

# 9,646:

5:01 am PDT, Oct 9, Name not displayed, Australia

# 9,645:

10:25 am PDT, Oct 7, Lori Wohlgemuth, Ohio

# 9,644:

10:56 pm PDT, Oct 6, Lindsay Parducci, Mississippi
Would it kill you to help these people?

# 9,643:

6:07 am PDT, Oct 6, Erwin Kantor, New York
I do it because I care. unlike some people in the u.s.a. all the money this country has between all the rich folks that state might as well be a third world state.

# 9,642:

12:15 am PDT, Oct 5, James L. grizzell, California

# 9,641:

4:35 pm PDT, Oct 3, Jeff Hopkins, Illinois

# 9,640:

3:46 pm PDT, Sep 27, Timothy Greenlee, Kansas

# 9,639:

10:28 am PDT, Sep 23, Emily MacDonald, Pennsylvania

# 9,638:

11:09 am PDT, Sep 20, Kelly Riley, Ohio

# 9,637:

7:48 am PDT, Sep 19, Carol Narick, Ohio

# 9,636:

10:02 pm PDT, Sep 18, Kat Dowling, Pennsylvania

# 9,635:

4:45 am PDT, Sep 17, Name not displayed, Washington

# 9,634:

8:11 pm PDT, Sep 14, Jessica Danko, North Carolina

# 9,633:

2:21 pm PDT, Sep 13, Amanda Guerra, Texas

# 9,632:

7:24 pm PDT, Sep 12, Russ Ford, Missouri

# 9,631:

7:19 pm PDT, Sep 10, Taylor Tiedemann, Minnesota

# 9,630:

3:30 am PDT, Sep 6, Amy Stroud, Texas

# 9,629:

6:11 pm PDT, Sep 2, Jason Bowman, California

# 9,628:

9:18 pm PDT, Aug 31, Cheri Brugman, California
it's the least the our government can do, especially given the lack of timely and proper response to help these people - it makes me sick, money and power are more important than people and lives (and quality of life) - everyone should have access to healthcare, regardless of if they have money or not (I have no health care myself actually...)

# 9,627:

9:49 pm PDT, Aug 30, Kryssi Hawryshko, Pennsylvania

# 9,626:

9:08 pm PDT, Aug 30, Catherine Grabar, Washington

# 9,625:

4:27 pm PDT, Aug 30, Sarah Vincett, New Jersey
They need help. SO HELP!!

# 9,624:

7:28 am PDT, Aug 30, Jill Martinez, California

# 9,623:

7:51 pm PDT, Aug 29, Linda Krout, Wisconsin
I think with the Governments lack of urgency with Hurricane Katrina, the least they could do is provide Medicaid to the displaced people of this unforgettable tragedy. I don't have a problem paying more taxes to help them. At least I can sleep at night knowing I made a sound decision.

# 9,622:

4:52 am PDT, Aug 26, Sherry Pilgrim, Alabama

# 9,621:

3:23 pm PDT, Aug 25, Christine Dunbar, Pennsylvania

# 9,620:

6:00 am PDT, Aug 25, Name not displayed, Tennessee

# 9,619:

11:49 am PDT, Aug 23, Michelle Deroche, Louisiana
Because I am from SOUTH LOUSIANA, and an area AFFECTED by Hurricane Katrina, and I saw and still see first hand what people are having to deal with in the aftermath. It's almost a year later and people are still TRYING to get their lives back together! Shouldn't the goverment be the first one's to step up and offer a HELPING HAND?!?!?!?

# 9,618:

10:52 am PDT, Aug 23, Kathryn Gallagher, California

# 9,617:

4:41 am PDT, Aug 21, Name not displayed, United Kingdom
because it should be a fundamental matter of decency to look after those whose lives have been dirupted by a natural disaster.

# 9,616:

2:44 am PDT, Aug 21, Name not displayed, Maryland

# 9,615:

7:19 am PDT, Aug 18, Atul Deshpande, Colorado

# 9,614:

8:14 pm PDT, Aug 8, C S Noto, Washington
Katrina has been an ongoing tragedy and testament to the failed policies of this administration for protecting its own citizens while spouting rhetoric of concern, safety, freedom and democracy. Now, a year later, those American citizens still suffering should all be getting the help and support they need from this government, instead of waylaid by election time political antics.

# 9,613:

8:59 am PDT, Aug 8, Lynne Stanford, Texas
medcaid need to be improved since all the cuts we are haven promblem treating all my medcail promble, so dr will take it again

# 9,612:

4:08 pm PDT, Aug 3, Brittany Haulcomb, Alabama

# 9,611:

10:49 am PDT, Aug 3, Barbara Bates, Florida

# 9,610:

9:13 pm PDT, Aug 2, Jon Rothberg, New York

# 9,609:

8:28 pm PDT, Jul 31, Patricia Toher, New York

# 9,608:

1:53 pm PDT, Jul 30, Michael Barth, Illinois

# 9,607:

9:43 am PDT, Jul 29, Jonathan Katz, New York
They are citizens of the United States of America. What do we stand for?

# 9,606:

12:10 am PDT, Jul 29, KARLA GLOOR, Ohio

# 9,605:

7:53 pm PDT, Jul 28, Sherrie Hyder, Tennessee

# 9,604:

2:21 pm PDT, Jul 25, Jeri Beth, North Carolina

# 9,603:

11:42 am PDT, Jul 23, Robin Kivett, Kansas

# 9,602:

12:21 am PDT, Jul 21, Rebecca Eliscu, California

# 9,601:

7:39 pm PDT, Jul 19, Concerned American, North Carolina

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Help Katrina Victims Get the Medical Care They Need Now!

This petition has been closed.