Your action today can help fight for Texas to receive its fair share of federal funds for Medicaid expansion and create a “Texas solution” for expanded health care coverage for low-income Texans. Please call Rep Jim Pitts, District 10, (512) 463-0516, and call your own state representative, and tell them you support expanded health care for Texas adults and the rider in the current budget bill, "Article 9 Section 17.12 Certain Medicaid Funds". If you don’t know who your representative is or how to contact him or her, go to this website: http://www.house.state.tx.us/members/find-your-representative/
For a good newspaper article explaining the situation and for a link to the text of the rider, visit: http://myhighplains.com/fulltext?nxd_id=372742.
The Affordable Care Act is the law of the land and exchange signups are scheduled to begin October 1st. For more information about the act and its various elements, download the PDF prepared by DAI leader Dr. Barry Lachman by clicking or visiting: http://dallasareainterfaith.org/downloads/TexasMedicaidBasics--2012-10-15--Handout.pdf.
The exhanges will provide subsidies for health care insurance for US citizens earning from 1 to 4 times the Federal Poverty Level. To see how this new law will affect you, visit the calculator offered by The Kaiser Family Foundation on their website at http://kff.org/interactive/
Dallas Area Interfaith has taken the lead on health care statewide, working with the ten Texas IEF network affiliates. Help support our work by making your financial contribution securely through DAI's PayPal account. Just click HERE.
On Wednesday, February 20, 2013,, clergy and leaders from Dallas Area Interfaith joined clergy and leaders from affiliated organizations across the state to hold a press conference/rally in support of Medicaid Expansion. DAI and the Network of Texas IAF Organizations represented a variety of religious traditions and a cross spectrum of Texas residents. Rev. David Batchelder announced that DAI had taken the lead for the network to draft and pass resolutions supporting Medicaid Expansion at various County Commissioner's Courts. He then introduced Judge Clay Jenkins from Dallas. There were three County Judges at the press conference and nearly thirty legislators, and the event was covered by eighteen different media outlets!
DAI leaders again took the lead for the network and began a petition drive that has now been picked up by different organizations across the state, and others are standing with us to call for better coverage for Texans. Leaders also crafted a resolution for Medicaid Expansion as part of a statewide county strategy that was adopted by Dallas County, Travis County, and soon other counties across Texas. Legislators from both sides of the aisle have stated they agree with our stance. What once seemed nearly impossible has become a very real possibility as more people publicly and privately call on the Governor to expand Medicaid.
