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Wednesday February 17, 2010
Help Secure the Safety Net for PA Children and Families
Add your name or organization’s name to a sign on letter to the US PA Congressional Delegation urging immediate extension of fiscal relief for states – particularly the enhanced federal Medicaid match rate (FMAP). Without an extension, next year’s state budget could have a hole of more than $800 million (in addition to the projected current year deficit of over $450 million)!
Action #1: Click here to sign onto the letter and please do so before 5pm on Tuesday, February 23, 2010
WHY IS ACTION NEEDED?
- Pennsylvania’s children and families experienced cuts in last year’s budget, BUT those cuts were not as large as they could have been because Congress and President Obama enacted an economic recovery and reinvestment act that included state fiscal relief.
- This relief included a temporary enhancement of the federal Medicaid match rate (FMAP), which provided additional federal funding to cover the costs of Medicaid and some child welfare services. This infused nearly $4 billion into PA’s budget during a 27 month period (including the current fiscal year).
- This temporary relief is set to expire in December, 2010. While “experts” say the Great Recession is over, the rebound is far from a reality for many children and families. As a result, it is appropriate and necessary for Congress to offer some additional temporary help to families.
Click here to sign onto the letter and send this email to your networks, colleagues and friends for more signatures.
Action #2: After you sign onto this letter, take a minute to call Senators Casey and Specter and your member of the U.S. House to urge the extension of FMAP.
Senator Casey can be reached toll-free at (866)-802-2833
Senator Specter can be reached in DC at (202)-224-4254
Click here to find your U.S. House member and phone number
Here are a few reminders of how tough times remain for children and families:
• Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate rose in December to 8.9 percent. The state’s unemployment rate has increased by more than 4 percent since the recession’s onset in 2007.
• As of January, over 1.5 million Pennsylvanians - 12.5 percent of the state’s population - were receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits (formerly Food Stamps);
• Enrollment in the Children’s Health Insurance Program continues to climb – increasing by more than 12,000 over the past year to its current level of 196,220;
• Over 2.1 million citizens of the state (17.5 percent) are eligible for Medicaid – nearly 1.1 million of whom are children;
• Together, CHIP and Medicaid are covering about 44 percent of the Commonwealth’s children;
• Demand at local food banks and health centers has been staggering and reports of suspected child abuse and domestic violence homicides have increased over the last year.
About this E-Alert
In an effort to keep our friends and colleagues up-to-date on what’s going on with children and families in our region, PCCY will, from time to time, issue an E-Alert on an issue that we need YOU to take action on!
We will: provide you with the information on the issues
We need YOU to: take the action step(s) that are listed
We hope that you will join us in helping to protect the lives and life chances of children and families in our region by doing something TODAY to help protect their tomorrows. However, if you would like to be removed from the e-mail list and receive no further updates, please send an e-mail to info@pccy.org.
* END ALERT *
President: James Martin
Executive Director: Shelly D. Yanoff
Communications Director: Sid Holmes
Public Citizens for Children and Youth (PCCY)
Seven Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Sixth Floor
Philadelphia, Pa 19103
Phone: 215-563-5848
Fax: 215-563-9442
Website: www.pccy.org
E-mail: info@pccy.org
Webmaster: Steven Fynes
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