September 12, 2005 -- Clergy Urge Congress Not to Make Cuts in Low-Income Health Care

A report originally scheduled to call attention to the potential effects on children’s health of imposing Medicaid access fees became also a strong plea from church leaders in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast for extending federal health care benefits to low-income victims of hurricane Katrina. The inter-denominational group PICO in a research report released today urged the United States Congress to reconsider proposals to allow states to impose new co-pays, premiums, deductibles, and other charges in Medicaid, noting that an estimated 500,000 million to 1.5 million children who are currently protected from cost-sharing in Medicaid might lose coverage under the new proposals. Following release of the report, clergy from Louisiana, including pastors from the ninth ward in New Orleans, discussed the federal response to Katrina and the need for a comprehensive effort that protects displaced families, supports communities bearing the burden of sheltering victims, prevents similar catastrophes in the future, and “rethinks national priorities.” “The catastrophic failure to protect families from death and destruction shows how our lives depend on a strong safety net,” said Paula Arceneaux, chair of New Orleans All Congregations Together. “Now is not the time to cut low-income children and families from health care.” Information about the report and PICO is available online at www.piconetwork.org/katrina.asp.