Do the People Running for Congress Support Eliminating the Institutional Bias?

 

Do the People Running for Congress Support Eliminating the Institutional Bias?   New Tool Helps You Find Out!   Source: ADAPT / Coalition for Community Integration   ADAPT has contacted the people running for Congress and asked them to indicate whether they would support eliminating the institutional bias in Medicaid by becoming a co-sponsor of and voting for the Community Choice Act during the next session of Congress if they are elected.  We have compiled the results so far and posted them on the Coalition for Community Integration's website.    You can search the list by state and whether the candidates are running for the Senate or the House of Representatives. This website not only tells you where the candidates stand on the issue, but provides an email address so you can contact the candidates yourself.   We have a great opportunity to make a difference in the next Congress. The election is right around the corner and these candidates need your vote!   If the candidates for Congress in your state or district haven't signed the pledge and agreed to support CCA, tell them that THEIR PLEDGE TO VOTE for the Community Choice Act GETS YOUR VOTE! Urge them to sign the pledge to FREE OUR PEOPLE! Let them know that this is an important issue for people with disabilities, our families, and the people who support our issues.   You can also point out that this issue pretty much affects every American family at some point, and (according to a Harris poll) 89 percent of Americans would be willing to pay for Community Choice.   When you send your email, you can also send a link to the Pledge form: www.c4ci.org/Pledge.pdf.   It's important that they hear from their constituents so go to the website, check on your candidates and contact them today! After you check out the site, be sure to forward this email to other folks and ask them to do this too.   Let's make sure the people running for Congress know that we want them to FREE OUR PEOPLE!   Not sure what to say in an email?  We've included the email that ADAPT sent the candidates below.     ADAPT Email to Candidates:   Eliminating the institutional bias in Medicaid and long term care by passing the Community Choice Act (HR1670/S683) has become one of the most important national goals for the disability community.  But even though this legislation has been championed by the disability community, there is widespread support for it.   In April 2010, a Harris Interactive survey found that 66% of respondents said they support the Community Choice Act without even knowing the cost.  When the cost was broken down into the amount paid by middle class taxpayers (just over a $6 per year increase in federal taxes), the percentage of people supporting the legislation skyrocketed.  Once people were told how much it cost, the survey found that 89 percent of Americans were willing to pay for this legislation.   Of course, there was even more support for this legislation among retired Americans.  A whopping 94% of retired Americans stated that they would support this legislation.  These findings corroborate research by AARP which found that 89% of Americans age 50 and over prefer to remain in their homes as long as they can (AARP Public Policy Institute, 2009).   You may be wondering is it is really possible for 89% of Americans to support anything, but when you take a closer look at the Community Choice Act, you realize that it appeals to people for a lot of different reasons.   ·         Of course, as retired Americans face the future, they want to stay in their own homes, and the Community Choice Act would give them that option.   ·         Americans committed to family values want to stay together, rather than institutionalize a child, spouse, or parent, and the Community Choice Act would give them that option.   ·         Americans committed to civil rights support this legislation because it creates a mechanism that allows people with disabilities to live in the most integrated setting as promised in the Supreme Court's Olmstead decision.   And these Americans want to know what YOUR position is on this important issue.   The Coalition for Community Integration has partnered with ADAPT to gather information about Congressional candidates and whether they will support the Community Choice Act in the 112th Congress.    I am writing to ask that the campaign for Todd Kolosso who is running for the WI, U.S. House 5 complete a pledge form and return it right away.    To make this easy, you can respond in several different ways.   1.    You can reply to this email, indicating the candidate's position on the Community Choice Act.  If you are replying from the address we sent this email to, you won't even need to sign the form;   2.    You can print out this email, fill out the Pledge section at the bottom of it and fax it back to us; or   3.    You can print out a PDF of our pledge form (www.c4ci.org/Pledge.pdf) and fax it to us at 585-546-5643.   Please respond soon so we can include your information with the information we are posting to our website and the update we will be distributing nationally.   Not sure where you stand on this issue, to get more information on the Community Choice Act, you can go the ADAPT webpage: www.adapt.org/cca.php. __,_._,___