The Junior League of Atlanta, Inc.
Political Affairs Committee
ACTION ALERT

It's Time for the Georgia General Assembly to
Save Healthcare Coverage for Georgia's
Lower-Income Children!

Your help is needed TODAY.  Georgia's PeachCare for Kids program is facing a $131 million federal funding shortfall and could be forced to shut down.

Governor Perdue, state legislators, and advocates have urged Congress to allocate necessary funds to cover the PeachCare shortfall.  The Governor and members of the legislature have traveled to Washington, D.C. to make personal pleas on behalf of Georgia's children, the Georgia House and Senate have passed resolutions calling upon Congress to act, and advocates have flooded congressional mailboxes with requests on behalf of Georgia's 273,000 lower-income children who depend upon PeachCare for their healthcare coverage.

Despite all these efforts, President Bush has not included stopgap funding for SCHIP in his emergency spending package for 2007.  And, while Congress could still pass legislation to provide funding, time is running out for PeachCare enrollees whose healthcare policies may end next month.

While we believe that the members of the Georgia General Assembly are considering passing emergency legislation to save PeachCare, we know that they are reluctant to act. Georgia leaders are concerned that state action will permit Congress to ignore its obligation to adequately fund the federal State Children's Health Insurance Program.  Yet, we are not optimistic that Congress will act quickly enough to solve this problem.

The Georgia General Assembly can keep Georgia's children on PeachCare for Kids without Congressional action .

The General Assembly can pass legislation that allows PeachCare to function without federal funds and can appropriate state funds to continue the program.  Alternatively, the Georgia General Assembly could pass legislation allowing PeachCare recipients to enroll in Medicaid.

Advocacy Request

Urge Georgia leaders to act without delay to end the uncertainty that families whose children are enrolled in PeachCare are facing.  These families are faced with the threat of losing essential healthcare coverage for their children in March.  All children should have healthcare coverage, and PeachCare is an essential program for Georgia families who cannot afford or lack access to private coverage.

Because of the impending deadline for the needed funding, please call, e-mail, and/or fax your state representative and senator, as well Governor Perdue and the House and Senate leadership, TODAY to urge them to act. Here is a sample letter. Please be sure to include all of your contact information when sending, and if you are a constituent, let them know. Follow this link to the Voices for Georgia’s Children website for contact information  or you may obtain this information by going to http://votesmart.org/index.htm.

Your help is greatly appreciated. 

Sample Letter

 

Dear Representative/Senator ___________:

I write to urge you and your colleagues in the Georgia General Assembly to pass legislation ensuring continued coverage through Georgia’s PeachCare program for lower-income children in the event that Congress does not act as quickly as we hope.

While I appreciate all of your efforts to ensure that Congress appropriates necessary funds to cover the PeachCare shortfall, I am deeply concerned that new funds are not forthcoming. All of Georgia’s children should have health coverage, and PeachCare provides essential support to children from families who cannot afford or lack access to private insurance. The PeachCare program faces a budget shortfall of as much as $131 million and, without additional federal funding, may have to shut down at the end of March. The consequences to children whose parents cannot afford the costs of pediatrician visits or vital medications could be dire.

Now is the time for the Georgia General Assembly to act on behalf of the 273,000 children in Georgia. It is urgent that you pass legislation ensuring that Georgia’s PeachCare for Kids Program can continue. Our children and their families should not have to worry about losing essential healthcare coverage while they wait for the State and the Federal Government to act.

Thank you for your attention and support to this matter of extreme importance to children in Georgia.

Sincerely,

 

 

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF THE JUNIOR LEAGUE OF ATLANTA AND OUR COMMUNITY PARTNERS

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