WEEKLY CALLS FOR OCTOBER 12
•URGE BOTH SENATORS AND REPRESENTATIVES TO RENEW FUNDING FOR CHIP
Federal funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which covers about 9 million children in the U.S., has now expired because Congressional leaders did not renew its funding by Sept. 30 as required by law. The CHIP program provides affordable, high-quality, and consistent health care coverage for children who do not qualify for Medicaid and whose families lack access to affordable employer-based or private insurance.
Congress’ failure to renew funding for the CHIP program means over 256,000 children across NC are in danger of losing their only source of health care coverage.
North Carolina is now projected to exhaust all of its federal funds for CHIP within the first three months of 2018.
•CALL TO ASK YOUR REPRESENTATIVES TO STOP THE ROLLBACK OF ACA BIRTH CONTROL COVERAGE
The Trump Administration has announced a rollback of the ACA birth control mandate, potentially risking access to birth control coverage for millions of women.
This action would push further exemptions to the contraceptive mandate, with the finalization of a new rule expected in the coming days. The new rule makes the exemption available to *all* employers, including large, publicly-traded, for-profit companies, on the basis of religious beliefs or “moral convictions.”
When this rule is published by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the exemptions will immediately go into effect.
•SUPPORT A BAN ON BUMP STOCKS
This issue has bipartisan support and bills have been introduced. Call all of your representatives to urge them to support efforts to close the deadly bump stock loophole.
NC Senators: Thom Tillis (202-224-6342, 704-509-9087)
Richard Burr (202-224-3154, 800-685-8916)
SC Senators: Lindsey Graham (202-224-5972, 804-250-1417)
Tim Scott (202-224-6121, 864-233-5366)