<i>MEDIA ADVISORY</i> for Tues., December 11: Leading Democrats, Health Care Advocates Call for Protection of Medicaid Funding in Fiscal Cliff Negotiations

Washington, D.C. - The nation's leading labor unions and health care advocates will join with Democratic leaders Tuesday to urge their Republican counterparts to preserve Medicaid funding. The press conference on Capitol Hill comes on the heels of today's national day of action, in which voters in more than 100 key congressional districts are urging lawmakers to focus on jobs, not program cuts to Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security.

On Tuesday, Dec. 11, at 10:30 a.m. at the Dirksen Senate Office Building, lawmakers and advocates will highlight how Medicaid is a critical safety net in keeping the nation healthy.

Medicaid provides nursing home care to seniors, covers one-third of the nation's births, provides access to home care forolder Americans and people with disabilities, and delivers essential preventive and primary care for low-income children.If lawmakers cut Medicaid, one in five Americans would be at risk of losing access to health care. In addition, recent public opinion polling shows that 70 percent of voters strongly opposecutting Medicaid in the name of deficit reduction.

Who:
Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) Representative Henry A.Waxman (D-CA), Representative Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Senator Al Franken (D-MN) and other Senate and House leaders

With:
Barbara Coufal, American Federation for State, City and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)
Sarita Gupta, Caring Across Generations
Ron Pollack, Families USA *
Ethan Rome, Healthcare for America Now (HCAN)
Al Campos, National Education Association (NEA)
Ollie Allen, Medical Assistant, SEIU-UHW

When:
Tuesday, December 11, at 10:30am.

Where:
Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 430

* = Available for comment by phone.

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