April 12, 2005

More Medicaid: Frist Twists Arms Of Senate Medicaid Champions; Stand Up Now for Your Senator If You're in OR, MN, PA, RI, OH and ME

On the other side of the Capitol, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) met with a number of the Republican Senators who joined with Democrats and Independents last month to strip big Medicaid cuts from the Senate Budget Resolution. His goal: Get the Senators to consider big Medicaid cuts, despite their previous pro-Medicaid stance.

Frist's targets included Senator Gordon Smith (OR), sponsor of the Smith-Bingaman amendment that blocked the Medicaid cuts, Norm Coleman (MN); Arlen Specter (PA); Lincoln Chafee (RI); Mike DeWine (OH); and Olympia Snowe & Susan Collins (ME).

While the Senators apparently told Frist they'd hold off on putting their no-cuts positions in writing, many of them also told the Washington Post they're not backing down from their pro-Medicaid stance. If you're reading this Update in Oregon, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Ohio or Maine, pick up the phone, dial 800-828-0498 and tell your Senator to stand strong against big Medicaid cuts, and for Americans living with AIDS and HIV.

The Housing Works AIDS Issues Update is reported, written and edited by Diana Scholl, David Thorpe, Christine Campbell, terri smith-caronia and Housing Works staff. Send your feedback, leads and story ideas to d.scholl@housingworks.org.

You can reach us by phone at 212-967-1500 x168, by fax at 212-868-4222, and by email at d.scholl@housingworks.org. Housing Works provides housing, advocacy and services to homeless people living with AIDS and HIV. Housing Works is the nation's largest community-based AIDS organization and the nation's largest minority-controlled AIDS organization.

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