Governor Carcieri says that health care for our elderly, the disabled and kids under Medicaid is, “sucking all the resources out of the rest of the state budget.”  Tell him he’s wrong! 

Tell him Medicaid Matters to...

Rhode Island’s Economy: 

• For every Medicaid dollar spent almost 65 cents comes from the federal government, bringing millions of Federal dollars into our local economy, helping to create jobs and supporting low-income households with access to quality health care.
• Because we insure many more people than most states through our Medicaid program, fewer families are forced into bankruptcy.  This benefit ripples through the economy, benefiting creditors and small businesses that would otherwise have to absorb losses.

Rhode Island Kids & Families: 

• More than 120,000 children, parents and pregnant moms get access to health care through the state’s Medicaid funded RIte Care program.   The RIte Care program reduces the occurrence of costly preventative illnesses and expensive emergency room visits by providing access to preventative care for low-income Rhode Islanders.

Rhode Island Seniors and People with Disabilities:

• Medicaid pays for services to help people with disabilities live at home and maintain a high quality of life
• More than 9,000 senior citizens receive nursing home care under Medicaid.  And, in addition to the basic health care covered by Medicaid, several thousand seniors receive special services to help them live safely in their own communities.

Rhode Island’s Health Care Infrastructure: 

• Federal Medicaid matching funds allow our hospitals to hire nurses and doctors, supports neighborhood health centers, nursing facilities, community mental health centers, and even helps by providing funds to our cities and towns to invest in health screenings and educational services in our schools. 

Please take a moment to send an email to Governor Carcieri.  Ask him to stop his harmful mischaracterization of Medicaid spending by being honest about the program’s far-reaching benefits.  Ask him to preserve Medicaid spending in his upcoming budget proposal.