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Protect Medicaid: Next Steps and Urgent Advocacy Needed
Monday, June 16, the Senate Finance Committee released their version of Medicaid provisions for the larger budget reconciliation bill. Unfortunately, the Committee did not reduce the Medicaid cuts; in some ways, the Medicaid provisions are worse than the House version of the bill passed last month.
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As a reminder, the House of Representatives passed the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act on May 22 (see NAMI’s statement expressing deep concern with the House-passed version). The House version would result in 11 million individuals losing health care coverage, cuts of nearly $800 billion to Medicaid over 10 years, and $2.4 trillion added to the federal deficit.
As the Senate considers a version of this bill, the Senate Finance Committee – which has jurisdiction over Medicaid – released its proposal on June 16. Some elements remain the same, but in some ways, the Senate version is more stringent and may result in more than the estimated $800 billion in cuts from the House version (as of the time of this email, full estimates on the Senate version were not yet available). This is in addition to $211 billion in cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) proposed by another Senate Committee.
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Your advocacy is URGENTLY needed. This is the most critical window to slow down or stop the Senate bill. We need every NAMI advocate and ally, in every state of the country, calling their Senators and sending emails. The Senate still says they hope to pass this by July 4th. However, media reports show strong dissension among some Republicans on some key Senate changes, so it is unclear if Republican leadership can get enough votes to pass the bill. As a reminder, only four Republicans are needed to vote no and stop the bill from getting a majority.
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Here's what we need from you:
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Urge everyone in your network to call and email your Senators. We have a phone script and pre-populated email here to make it easy to contact your Senators.
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Share on social media—repeatedly! Sample social posts and graphics are in our toolkit.
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Submit a letter to the editor. You can find a template in the toolkit.
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For more information from NAMI visit: https://www.nami.org/advocacy/advocate-for-change/protect-medicaid-protect-mental-health/
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Click Here to Learn About the NAMI Community Education & Training Programs That are Available Now
In Every Story, There's Strength.
Share yours! Complete the form here.
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Meet New Staff Member Hannah Johnson
Outside of her position as Community Awareness and Volunteer Coordinator, Hannah Johnson has her own mindfulness business and works as a café manager.
She has always been passionate about our connection with ourselves, one another, and our environment. After receiving her Master’s in Restorative Practices in 2022, she created "Balance," where she currently teaches yoga and meditation to help people improve their mental and physical health.
When she isn’t working with others or attending a Lenape language class, Hannah loves to cook, be with friends, spend time in nature, and make pottery.
Welcome Hannah! We're so excited to have you working with us and within our community.
Would You Like to Change Lives? Volunteer!
How would you like to help NAMI?
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What skills, talents, experience do you have that can be used to help individuals living with mental illness?
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You can lead a support group or training program; you can represent NAMI at a community event.
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Help raise funds for NAMI or advocate for mental health.
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There are a variety of ways you can help us so that we can help improve the lives of those living with mental illness and their families.
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Find support for yourself, your family through NAMI.
Supporting Recovery
When someone in your family has a mental health condition, your support makes a big difference. However, it may be hard for you to know what to say or do. It can be especially difficult to balance caring for your own health with encouraging others to be responsible for their actions. We can help you.
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Training & Education
NAMI offers education and training programs throughout the year including the Family-to-Family and Peer-to-Peer education programs, Family and Friends, and Youth and Adult Mental Health First Aid.