Health Care

Outlook 2006: Uninsured Americans Increase, as Congress Struggles with Budget and Cuts in Health Funding

As the first session of the 109th Congress draws to a close, it is somewhat uncertain how Congress will act on health care policy in the second session. In late December, Congress came one step closer to passing a conference report on its budget reconciliation spending reduction packages (HR 4241/S 1932), which would reduce federal spending for mandatory programs, including Medicaid and Medicare, by as much as $40 billion over five years. When the House of Representatives reconvenes on January 31st, an extremely close vote is expected on the spending cut package. [Read more]

For programmatic information on these issues, go to:

• Health Ministries USA
• International Health Ministries

Quarterly Bulletins

• Funding for Serious Mental Illness to Decrease as Budget Pressures Squeeze Discretionary Programs
  (1st quarter, 2006)
• Post-Katrina Health Care Highlights Gaps in the System
  (4th quarter, 2005)
• Next Steps: Federal Funding for Stem Cell Research
  (3rd quarter, 2005)
• The Ryan White CARE Act
  (2nd quarter, 2005)
• Medicaid and the 2006 Budget
  (1st quarter, 2005)
• HIV/AIDS: A Global and Local Epidemic
  (4th quarter, 2004)
• Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care
  (3rd quarter, 2004)
• Health Care 2005: How Do the Policies of President Bush and Senator Kerry Compare?
  (2nd quarter, 2004)
• What Kind of Funding Challenges Can We Expect for Medicaid and SCHIP?
  (1st quarter, 2004)
• When Will Congress Address the Issue of the Uninsured?
  (January-February Washington Report)
• 2003 Wrap-Up
  (November-December Washington Report)
• The New Medicare Prescription Drug Provision: Who Will Benefit?
  (4th quarter, 2003)
• Excluding “Dual Eligibles” Would Likely Harm the Poorest and Sickest Medicare Beneficiaries
  (3rd quarter, 2003)
• House and Senate Medicare Bills Highlight Differences
  (July - August Washington Report)
• Restore Benefits to Legal Immigrants:Provision included in Senate Medicare Legislation
  (2nd quarter, 2003)
• Medicaid: Fiscal Crisis Threatens Beneficiary Coverage and Eligibility
  (1st quarter, 2003)

Bulletin Archive

Actions

• Call Your Rep This Week: Last Chance to Stop Budget Cuts
  (Action Alert – January 24, 2006)
• Protect Medicaid!
  (Action Alert - January 6, 2006)
• Budget Passes Senate, but Will Go Back to the House for Final Approval in January
  (Action Alert – December 21, 2005)
• Last Chance to Save Vital Services
  (Action Alert – December 19, 2005)
• Do Not Go Forward with Budget Cuts for Vital Human Needs Program
  (Action Alert – November 8, 2005)
• Tell Congress: Stop Federal Budget Cuts to the Hungry and Uninsured
  (Action Alert - August 30, 2005)
• Thank You for Helping to Reduce the Size of Budget Cuts
  (Action Alert - April 29, 2005)
• Stop the Cuts in Domestic Programs. Call-In Day Tues April 12
  (Action Alert - April 9, 2005)
• Senate Finance Committee to Begin Work on Reauthorizing TANF
  (Action Alert - July 8, 2003)
• Ask your members of congress to cosponsor mental health parity legislation
  (Action Alert - June, 6 2003)
• Urge Your Senators to Prevent Cuts in the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)
  (Action Alert - September 20, 2002)
• Urge Your Rep. to Co-sponsor HR 4066, Mental Health Parity Act
  (Action Alert - March 25, 2002)
• Mental Health Parity: Your Continued Support Is Needed
  (Action Alert - December 5, 2001)
• Special Alert on Prescription Drug Benefits
  (Action Alert - June 8, 2000)
• Contact Your Senators: The Patients' Bill of Rights Could Come to the Senate Floor in June
  (Action Alert - June 8, 2001)
• Prescription Drug Benefits
  (Action Alert - June 8, 2000)
• Patient Protections
  (Action Alert - September 30, 1999)
• Medical Savings Accounts
  (Action Alert - May 18, 1999)
• Funding for Tobacco Prevention
  (Action Alert - May 10, 1999)
• The Patients' Bill of Rights
  (Action Alert - April 21, 1999)
• Immediate Action Needed to Save Tobacco Prevention Funding
  (Action Alert - March 8, 1999)
• Proposed New Labeling Implies Wine Has Health Benefits
  (Action Alert - November 16, 1998)
• Funding for Global AIDS Programs
  (Action Alert - September 4, 1998)
• Consumer Protection in Managed Care
  (Action Alert - July 16, 1998)

• Reject Conference Agreement on Medicaid
  (Sign-on letter - December 19, 2005)
• Reject All Provisions that Harm Medicaid Beneficiaries
  (Sign-on letter - December 15, 2005)
• End Discriminatory Insurance Practices that Deny People Needed
  Mental Health Treatment
  (Sign-on letter - October 14, 2005)
• Post-Katrina, the Federal Government Must Secure the Basics
  (Sign-on letter – October 6, 2005)
• Establish Emergency Medicaid for Katrina Survivors
  (Sign-on letter – September 14, 2005)
• Thanks for Urging No Cuts in Entitlement Programs
  (Sign-on letter — September 12, 2005)
• Strengthen Medicaid
  (Sign-on letter — July 18, 2005)
• Thank Your Senators for Sponsoring S 471 and Ethical Guidelines for Fetal Tissue and Stem Cell Research
  (Sign-on letter — July 14, 2005)
• Urge Conference Budget Agreement Not to Cut Medicaid
  (Sign-on letter — April 20, 2005)
• Let Justice Roll Budget
  (Sign-on letter – April 13, 2005)
• Thank You for Supporting the Amendment to Strike Medicaid Cuts from the 2006 Budget
  (Sign-on letter – March 24, 2005)
• Support Effective Regulation of Tobacco by the FDA
  (Sign-on letter – March 17, 2005)
• Endorse Smith-Bingaman Amendment to Strike All Medicaid Cuts
  (Sign-on letter – March 14, 2005)
• Ask the President to Send Tobacco Control Bill to Senate
  (Sign-on letter —  February 27, 2005)
• Oppose Current Medicaid Reforms
  (Sign-on letter — February 3, 2005)
• Restore $1.1 Billion SCHIP Funds
  (Sign-on Letter — November 15, 2004)
• Letter to Sen. Kerry on Census Report
  (Sign-on letter — September 8, 2004)
• Reduce Suffering Cause by Tobacco
  (Sign-on letter — September 7, 2004)
• Troubling Census Bureau Report on Poverty
  (Sign-on letter — September 8, 2004)
• Support the Indian Health Act, HR 2440
  (Sign-on letter — September 8, 2004)
• Thank You for Helping States Prevent Medicaid Cuts
  (Sign-on letter — August 2, 2004)
• Letter to Senator Kerry: Support Federal Measures to Reduce Teen Smoking
  (Sign-on letter — May 25, 2004)
• Letter to the President: Support Federal Measures to Reduce Teen Smoking
  (Sign-on letter — May 25, 2004)
• Fully Fund a Comprehensive Tobacco Prevention Program
  (Sign-on letter — January 22, 2004)
• Oppose Medicaid Cuts in Final Budget Resolution
  (Sign-on letter — March 30, 2004)
• Oppose Medicaid Cuts in FY05 Budget
  (Sign-on letter — March 8, 2004)
• Support Health Care for All
  (Sign-on letter — February 2, 2004)
• Support Immigrant Children's Health in Senate Medicare Bill
  (Sign-on letter — October 24, 2003)
• Health Savings and Affordability Act
  (Sign-on letter — September 2003)
• Support Extension of the Transitional Medical Assistance Program
  (Sign-on letter — July 18, 2003)
• Support a Level Playing Field on Medicare Plans
  (Sing-on letter — June 10, 2003)
• Tax Bill Should Include State and Medicaid Assistance
  (Sign-on letter — May 21, 2003)
• Strengthen the Medicaid Program
  (Sign-on letter — May 12, 2003)
• Restore SCHIP Funds
  (Sign-on letter — January 16,2003)
• Authorize Essential Programs to Fight AIDS
  (Sign-on letter — October 14, 2002)
• Don't Cut SCHIP Funding
  (Sign-on letter — September 20, 2002)
• Fund Safe Schools/Healthy Students
  (Sign-on letter — October 22, 2001)
• Revise Medicaid Rules on AIDS
  (Sign-on letter — October 19, 2001)