TO:
Trustees

The legislative landscape in Washington is literally changing hour by hour. Before adjourning within the next few days, Congress must pass a continuing resolution (CR) to temporarily fund the federal government and legislation to address the economic crisis. Some economic stimulus provisions may also be passed. Current drafts of the CR do not contain any of our top three priorities. The economic “bail-out” legislation is not yet public.

We Need Your Assistance

We have a small window of opportunity to make our case in even stronger terms that our top priorities must be addressed before Congress adjourns. Please call your members of Congress and U.S. Senators today and urge action on these priorities. A list of Washington, D.C. office telephone numbers for all members of the Delegation is available online.

Script to Assist You in Making the Call

When you call your representatives and Senators Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY), thank them for their leadership and support thus far. Ask them to go the extra mile and protect New York State’s hospitals and health systems by securing legislation as part of the CR or other moving legislative vehicle to address these three priorities:

• Increase Federal Medicaid Funding to States--Given the crisis on Wall Street and ripple effects that will be felt throughout the entire economy and certainly in health care, securing an increase in the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) is essential.
• Block Implementation of the Medicare Capital Indirect Medical Education (IME) Cut--Scheduled to go into effect this October, stopping this cut is crucial to protecting New York’s teaching hospitals.
• Stop the Harmful Medicaid Outpatient Department (OPD) and Clinic Regulation--Implementation of this regulation would cause losses in the hundreds of millions of dollars to our state.

Thank you in advance for your calls to Congress. In cooperation with HANYS, we will keep fighting on your behalf and will keep you informed of the latest developments.

For more information, contact Susan Van Meter, Vice President, Federal Relations, at (202) 488-1272 or at svanmete@hanys.org.