Letter To Governor Holcomb About the BRCA

Thank you to the organizations and individuals who supported our letter to Governor Holcomb. It will be hand delivered to him and Senator Young and Senator Donnelly today. We appreciate your advocacy.

July 14, 2017

Office of Governor Eric Holcomb
State House
Room 206
Indianapolis, IN 46204-2797

Dear Governor Holcomb,

The undersigned organizations and individuals are all dedicated to ensuring the health and well-being of children in Indiana, particularly children and youth with special health care needs, and we respectfully urge you to advise Senator Young and Senator Donnelly to oppose the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA).

As you know, BCRA will fundamentally restructure and make drastic cuts in the Medicaid program.  Our state will lose billions of dollars in federal funding if this bill is enacted.  Unless state taxes are raised to cover the shortfall, the state will be compelled to cut Medicaid eligibility, benefits, and reimbursement, hurting the 791,659 children in the state who rely on this critical program.  Among these children are 383,000 who have special health care needs.

Please bear in mind that the proposed changes to Medicaid will have far-reaching implications.  Costs will be shifted to other state and local agencies (and hence local taxpayers), health care providers, families, and individuals. For example, costs will be shifted to school districts when Medicaid reimbursement is cut for therapies mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. And, because Medicaid covers children in foster care and those adopted from foster care, costs will also be shifted to adoptive parents, foster parents, and grandparents raising grandchildren as a result of the opioid epidemic. In fact, costs will be shifted to all of the families who rely on Medicaid coverage for their children, and it is likely that some children will actually lose Medicaid coverage completely.

We must point out that the Senate bill’s “carve out” for “blind and disabled” children will fail to protect these children from the effects of drastic cuts in Medicaid funding. In fact, the likely reductions in provider payments will affect these children and others with special health care needs disproportionately, since they rely on specialists who may be forced to shut their doors or stop taking Medicaid patients if reimbursement is reduced.  Medicaid cuts will also disproportionately affect children with special health care needs who receive “optional” services, such as home health care, and those who are eligible through waivers, such as waivers that enable medically fragile children to live at home with their families rather than in nursing homes.

Given its likely harm to the health of our state’s children, particularly those with special health care needs, we implore you to do all you can to prevent BCRA from becoming law.

Respectfully yours,

Family Voices Indiana

Down Syndrome Indiana

Hear Indiana

Hoosier Action

Indiana United Methodist Church Disability Advocacy Team

The Arc of Indiana

Rylin Rodgers, Lebanon

Jennifer Akers, Westfield

Joe Akers, Westfield

Heather Dane, Indianapolis

Jara Dillingham, Newburgh

Nicole Sheridan, Kokomo

Julie Feighery, South Bend

Katie Friedericks, Indianapolis

Cristy James, Avon

Jessica Leigh Carter, Terre Haute

Naomi Horton, Crawfordsville

Kristin Coffey, Indianapolis

Thomas Stone, Noblesville

Marty Stone, Noblesville

Holli Shively, Fort Wayne

Sheri Wagner Reece, Noblesville

Amanda Kling, Auburn

Sally Martin, Santa Claus

Kerry Skeffington, Burns Harbor

Debbie Pedersen, Indianapolis

Phil Pedersen, Indianapolis

Tanya Pedersen, Indianapolis

Jamie Shultz, Zionsville

Danielle Valdez, Lafayette

Jane Scott, Indianapolis

Christine Hire, Fort Wayne

Kathleen Dunn-Child, Indianapolis

Kalli Kobler, Valparaiso

Veronica Maximo, Fishers

Ofelia Jimenez, East Chicago

Amy Hill, West Lafayette

Erica Walker, Fort Wayne

Cynthia Holladay, Fishers

Alicia Halbert, Indianapolis

Cyndi Johnson, Bloomington

Christine Moyer, South Bend

Beth and Brad DeHoff, Plainfield