Tell Congress to Close The Medicaid Coverage Gap Now!

As United Methodists, we understand healthcare is a basic human right. (2016 Social Principles ¶162.V) Today we are facing a pivotal moment in our pursuit of access to affordable, equitable care for all.

Right now, Congress is negotiating the details of a budget reconciliation package – a package which has the potential to cut the cost of medicine and make healthcare accessible for those living in the Medicaid coverage gap. Without action by Congress over 2 million low-income adults will remain in the Medicaid coverage gap.

Contact your Senators today to let them know that budget reconciliation must expand access to affordable, equitable care by closing the Medicaid coverage gap.

Closing the Medicaid gap is also essential to addressing the ongoing maternal healthcare crisis in the United States. Among industrialized nations, the U.S. has the highest rate of people dying of pregnancy-related complications, many of which are preventable. This harrowing reality disproportionately affects Black women as they are 3 to 4 times more likely to die in childbirth than white women.

As United Methodists, we specifically call for increased access to maternal health and family-planning services (Resolution 3203: Maternal Health: The Church’s Role). If we are to create a comprehensive approach to the Black maternal mortality crisis in our nation, Medicaid, which provides coverage for 65 percent of births to Black mothers, must be expanded.

It is also important to note that many states that have failed to extend Medicaid have also restricted access to reproductive healthcare. There are more than 800,000 women of reproductive age with income under 100 percent of the poverty line that are living without access to comprehensive health coverage.

Your immediate action tells our congressional leaders that closing the Medicaid coverage gap is our moral responsibility.

These issues cannot wait. Tell Congress to act now!