June 27, 2017

Senator John Hoeven

338 Russell Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator Hoeven:

The undersigned individuals and organizations write to express pressing concerns over the proposed changes to Medicaid and Medicaid Expansion through the American Health Care Act (AHCA). The proposed changes of concern are the per capita caps on the federal contribution to Medicaid to the states, and the effective ending of enhanced federal funding for Medicaid Expansion. A phase-out period for ending the Medicaid Expansion would still have catastrophic effects; millions of Americans could lose coverage in the near term as states are forced to freeze enrollment to curb rising costs, and millions more would lose coverage once the Medicaid Expansion finally ended.

These provisions of the AHCA will severely compromise the ability of North Dakotans to access healthcare, threatening the viability of families and individuals with low and moderate incomes, people with disabilities, the elderly, and children.

Currently, over 114,000 North Dakotans receive health coverage and long-term services through Medicaid and Medicaid Expansion. These two programs have led to North Dakotans seeking more affordable preventative care rather than much costlier acute care, reducing the overall cost of healthcare. They have also reduced the stress on health care facilities that often have to bear the burden of unpaid acute care. Additionally, Medicaid and Medicaid Expansion have positive economic impacts of over $1.6 billion through the employment of individuals in local and rural hospitals and community health care facilities around the state.

Setting a per capita cap on Medicaid or the ending of enhanced federal funding for Medicaid Expansion would each shift significant costs to North Dakota, our taxpayers and healthcare providers because they will shift the responsibility of increased health care costs to the state. Shifting costs to the state could result in cuts to provider payments, program eligibility, services, or all of the above – ultimately harming some of North Dakota’s most vulnerable citizens. Collectively they could cause untold harm to the health care systems that North Dakota and its citizens have worked so hard to develop. As a sign of support, this winter North Dakota’s legislature agreed to continue Medicaid expansion, which was set to expire on June 30.

As groups representing a wide cross section of North Dakota, from business, to healthcare, to consumers, to working North Dakotans, and as individual North Dakotans we encourage you to reject a Senate healthcare bill that includes a per capita cap on Medicaid or reduces federal funding for Medicaid Expansion

Sincerely:

The undersigned 36 organizations and 345 individuals as of 8:00 p.m. June 26, 2017 (continues)

Organizations

The North Dakota Economic Security and Prosperity Alliance (NDESPA)

The Arc of Bismarck

The Arc of Cass County

The Arc of North Dakota

The Arc, Upper Valley

American Lung Association in ND

CAWS North Dakota

Clean & Green Cleaning Service, Fargo

Community Action Partnership of North Dakota

Designer Genes of North Dakota

Ehrens Consulting

Family Voices of North Dakota

Fargo Underground

Great Plains Food Bank

Heartview Foundation

Mid Dakota Clinic PC

Music Therapy in Motion

Native American Development Center

North Dakota Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

North Dakota AFL-CIO

North Dakota Childhood Trauma Network

North Dakota County Social Service Directors Association

North Dakota District 22 Dem-NPL

North Dakota Farmers Union

North Dakota Human Rights Coalition

North Dakota United

North Dakota Women's Network

Prairie St. John's, Fargo

Protection & Advocacy Project

Sacred Pipe Resource Center, Bismarck

Schneider Law Firm, Grand Forks

Strengthen ND

  

Individuals

Pamela Anderson

John     Andrus

Jacquelyn Aronson

Patricia Aune

Ondine Baird

Carenlee Barkdull

Marlene Batterberry

Jill        Beireis

Wannetta Bennett

Courtney Bergman

Susan   Bergquist

Kathy   Bingeman

Sara     Boger

Jeani    Borchert

Joshua  Boschee

Carol    Braaten

Tricia   Brame

Mara    Brust

Casey   Buchmann

Gladys Cairns

Gladys Cairns

Kaye    Carlson

Janis     Cheney

Barb     Chisholm

Gail      Christianson

Lynn    Clancy

Stacy    Closson

Kathleen Cooper

Owen   Dahl

Thomas            Dahle

Melissa Dalke

Linda   Dalzell

Ashley Decker

Siobhan Deppa

Tina     Dietz

Jay       Dietz

Gretchen Dobervich

Dustin  Dockter

Vivian  Drees

Heather Drees

Jessica  Dryer

Lisa      Durkee

Ann     Ede

Karen   Ehrens

Duane  Ehrens

Anne    Eliason

Patrick Engelhart

Nancy  Englerth

Julie     Erickson

Dixie    Evans

Mary    Everson

Robert  Everson

Christine Fastnaught

Donene            Feist

Rebecca Fell

Keith    Fernsler

Jackie   Flowers

Nichole Fontaine-Vonesh

Martin  Fredricks

Jackie   Frost-Hodny

Scott    Fry

Alissa   Fugazzi

Sabina  Gasper

Rita      Gieser

Karen   Gottschalk

John     Grabinger

Beth     Grahn

Sarah   Griffith

Ron      Guggisberg

Judy     Hager

Robert  Haider

Brittany Hanson

Renee   Hardy

Dean    Harens

Connie Harmel

Constance Harris

Joanne Haug

Mark    Haugen

Joan     Heckaman

Erin     Hell Maser

Tanner Herbert Miller

Marcia Hettich

Kathy   Hogan

Mary Pat Holler Bibel

Rep. Rick Holman

Deb      Igoe

Amy    Ingersoll-Johnson

Jennifer            Jenness

Ruth     Jenny

Patricia Jessen

Katy     Johnson

Deb      Johnson

Eric      Johnson

Diane   Jolin

Clara    Jurivich

Cheryl  Kary

Rita      Kelly

Kate     Kenna

Janice   Kern

Cynthia Kile

Gabe    Kilzer

Bradley            King

Ryan    Klapperich

Miranda Kleven

Kay      Kringlie

Adrienne Larsen

Nicole  Larson

Landis  Larson

Ryan    Larson

warren larson

Matthew Leidholm

Layla   Ligutom

Charles Linderman

Ellen    Linderman

Charles Linderman

Jane     Loscheider

Norton             Lovold

Claire   Lowstuter

Perry    Lundon

Toby    Lunstad

Denise  Luttio

Elsie     Magnus

Brad     Magnuson

Johannes Mahlum

Dorene Malling

Landa  Manders

Ann     Mason

Tim      Mathern

Kristin  Mathern

Deb      Mathern

Scott    Mathern-Jacobson

Reba    Mathern-Jacobson

Molly   Matthews

Rebecca Matthews

Carilynn Maw

Angela Mayberry

Nancy  McKenzie

Christina McNeal

Marcia Mikulak

Kristin  Miller

Alisa    Mitskog

Corey   Mock

Carolyn Monzingo

John     Monzingo

Camie  Mosbrucker

Tara     Muhlhauser

Amanda Myhre

Matthew Nelson

Gayle   Nelson

Karen   Nelson

Marvin Nelson

Kathleen Ness

Senator Erin Oban

Marie   Offutt

Tara     Okpalaeke-Wood

Rick     Olek

Leigh   Olson

Elizabeth Olson

Alice    Olson

Mike     Olson

Kylie    Oversen

Crysta  Parkinson

Julianne Pedersen

Marly   Pedersen

Vicki    Peterson

Krisanna Peterson

Dustin  Peyer

State Senator Merrill Piepkorn

Rachel  Pierson

Christopher Pieske

Christina Pieske

Jessie    Quinn

Michelle Ragan

Mary    Rennich

Doreen Riedman

Larry   Robinson

Rep. Karla Rose Hanson

Wilfred Schill

Debra   Schlief

Lori     Schlieve

Karen   Schneider

Melissa Schroeder

Stacy    Scott

Jerry    Severson

Christine Shaffer

Ellie     Shockley

Patrick Sinner

Katie    Skalicky

Melissa Sobolik

Rosie    Sprynczynatyk

Deborah Stahlberg

Richard Stahlberg

Emma  Steger

Jamie   Stewart

Christine Stiven

Alistair Stiven

Rose     Stoller

Colleen Swank

Debbie             Swanson

Deborah Swanson

Lydia   Tackett

Jennifer Tarlin

Ryan    Taylor

Kevin   Tengesdal

Susan   Thompson

Daniel  Tick

Jamie   Tyson

Ruth     Urdahl

Carrie   Veitz

Brian    Veitz

Katie    Vettel

Emily   Vieweg

Marybeth Vigeland

Emily   Wangen

Nicole Watkins

Renee   Wetzsteon

Gail      Wiley

Laura   Wiley

Leslie   Wilkie

Kari     Wolff

Lauren Woodbury

Jennifer Wray

Cole Edward Young

+ 140 additional individuals who choose not to disclose their names publicly

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