Dear Friends of Medicare Beneficiaries,
Please take under 5 minutes to view either of these YouTube videos to see how Medicare beneficiaries feel about their State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP), knowing that Congress may eliminate all SHIP funding. The House Appropriations Subcommittee meets after July 4th to vote on this unprecedented budget cut. #SaveOurSHIPs
“Save Our SHIP for Medicare Beneficiaries” Video 4min45sec
“Scottsdale Medicare Beneficiaries for Save Our SHIP” Video 3min45sec
The Senate Appropriations Committee recently passed a bill that eliminates the entire $52.1 million budget funding for the national network of SHIPs for Fiscal Year 2017 starting Oct 1, 2016. The bill goes before the House Appropriations Subcommittee for a vote soon. This budget represents spending of less than $1 per Medicare beneficiary per year.
http://kff.org/medicare/state-indicator/total-medicare-beneficiaries/
SHIP is the only program that provides free, unbiased one-on-one Medicare benefits counseling, education and advocacy to Medicare seniors and disabled beneficiaries, their families and caregivers. This effective Program is supported largely through volunteer counselors, but it needs funding to survive. SHIPs have successfully served the country’s Medicare population since 1992, providing local help to people with Medicare.
Please read the links below if you’d like to learn more.
Together and as individuals we can make our voices heard! SHIP Counselors make an appreciated difference to the lives of Medicare beneficiaries daily and nationally by providing needed assistance and improving access to the health care Medicare beneficiaries have earned.
Please take five minutes to send emails to your members of Congress. You can use your zip code with the NCOA write-a-letter link and the message is pre-written. Or you can contact your legislators using the House and Senate links with your zip code, and simply cut and paste the above video title and link into the message space. The video contains a closing message to Members of Congress. Please use the Scottsdale video for emails to Representative David Schweikert.
http://cqrcengage.com/ncoa/app/onestep-write-a-letter?3&engagementId=219993
http://www.senate.gov/index.htm
Thank you. And thank you for engaging friends, family or colleagues who might be willing to help “Save Our SHIP.” #SaveOurSHIPs
Cindy Lee for
Medicare Beneficiaries For SHIP
medicarebeneficiaries4ship@gmail.com
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