Letter to Colorado Senators
Dear Senator Gardner and
Senator Bennet:
As the Senate continues its
work on health care policy, I am writing to express the concerns of the Rocky
Mountain Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). We are one
of 65 synods in the ELCA, with over 100 congregations and ministries in
Colorado alone. We urge you to oppose policies that would put our nation’s most
vulnerable people at risk. Our congregations and affiliated social service providers
in Colorado serve the most vulnerable and we understand what is at stake. As a
church, we teach that government as the guarantor of justice should “give
priority to people and groups who are not benefitting from access to health
care services and research: people who are uninsured and underinsured, people
living in poverty, [and] those in rural areas.” (Caring for Health: Our
Common Endeavor Social Statement, p. 19, www.elca.org/socialstatements)
Specifically, we ask you to
reject provisions in the Better Care
Reconciliation Act (BCRA) that would convert Medicaid from a guaranteed
benefit to a per capita cap program. Maintaining the broad structure and vital
functions of Medicaid is essential to protecting the people served by the
program. Two-thirds of seniors in nursing homes, 39 percent of American
children, and over ten million Americans with disabilities are covered by
Medicaid. Changing the structure and function of Medicaid will put the health
and well-being of these individuals at risk.
We are also concerned that
the bill would drastically cut federal Medicaid funding for states by at least
$772 billion by 2026, causing 15 million Americans to lose Medicaid coverage
over the next decade.[i]
These coverage losses would only get worse over time. According to the
Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the BCRA would reduce federal funding for
state Medicaid programs by 26 percent by 2026 and 35 percent by 2036. AARP has
estimated the BCRA would cut total Medicaid spending by up to $3.8 trillion
from 2017-2036.[ii]
Colorado would suffer tremendously if these cuts were enacted.
As Christians, we believe
that God calls all people and governments to do justice and to give priority to
the needs of the most vulnerable people—the aging, the young, the sick and
those with disabilities. Therefore, we are committed to working as a church
with other individuals, organizations, and the government to ensure the
continuation of Medicaid as a guaranteed benefit. Out of that commitment, we
urge you to work together in a bipartisan manner for the benefit of Coloradans
and to reject any policy proposal that would put our nation’s most vulnerable
people in jeopardy.
Sincerely,
The Rev. James W. Gonia
[i] Congressional Budget Office, “H.R. 1628, Better Care Reconciliation Act
of 2017” (June 26, 2017) available at: https://www.cbo.gov/publication/52849
[ii] AARP, “The Senate Health Reform Bill Would
Slash Medicaid Severely” (June 23, 2017) available at: http://blog.aarp.org/2017/06/23/the-senate-health-reform-bill-slashes-medicaid-severely/
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