The Arc of the United States Urges Congress not to Block Passage of the Bipartisan Family Opportunity Act

ARC of the United States
Friday, 8 December 2000

Washington, D.C. ¾ The Arc of the United States, the nation's leading national organization on mental retardation and related disabilities, urges Congress not to block the passage of the strongly bipartisan Family Opportunity Act (S. 2274; H.R. 4825). This is an extremely important piece of legislation. It is the chance for parents to try and provide the best health care possible for their children with disabilities by buying into the Medicaid program if they cannot get what they need through their job.

Although there is tremendous bipartisan support for this legislation in both the House and the Senate, Congressional leadership continues to block its progress. The more than 200 Republican and Democratic Members of the House and Senate, who are sponsors of the Family Opportunity Act, are still pushing for it to be enacted this year and the White House has now made the Family Opportunity Act its number one health care priority.

There is also tremendous grassroots support for this bill. One example of how important this bill is to families is the over 500 letters that have been written to Members of Congress on the Family Opportunity Act in the past six months through The Arc's online Action Center (www.thearc.org).

The Family Opportunity Act would allow states to offer middle-income families of children with disabilities the option of buying-into Medicaid. Currently, these children are ineligible for Medicaid because their families make too much money. Because of this restriction, they are often un-insured or underinsured because health insurance is not available though an employer, it too expensive, or offers a very limited number of benefits. In addition, parents are often forced to remain in dead-end jobs to keep health insurance or to decline employment in order to access federal health benefits. Giving parents the option of buying into Medicaid and paying on a sliding scale basis would provide children with disabilities in these families access to the full range of Medicaid services. This provision, along with a demonstration program that would allow states to cover young children with "potentially severe disabilities," promises improved overall health, the prevention of future disabilities, and a better chance for these children to live full and healthy lives with their families in their home communities where they belong.

The Arc believes that this legislation takes a pragmatic and responsible approach to offering families potential access to Medicaid's comprehensive benefits package.

- It is a state option, one that we strongly hope most states will choose.

- It requires parents to pay premiums for this coverage on a sliding scale based on their income.

- It requires parents to take employer-sponsored family coverage (if available) but allows them to buy into Medicaid to "supplement" the employer benefit package.

- It breaks the link between forced poverty and Medicaid, and it builds on the bipartisan work incentives law enacted last year.

Passage of the bipartisan Family Opportunity Act would be a positive end of session victory for the 106th Congress. The Arc urges Congress to pass the Family Opportunity Act of 2000 this year.

The Arc represents over 7 million children and adults with mental retardation and related disabilities and their families. The Arc has over 140,000 members within approximately 1,000 state and local chapters nationwide.

For more information, or to contact ARC of the United States, see their website at: www.thearc.org