THE ISSUE:  Please call, write, or fax members of the Senate Finance and House Appropriations Health and Human Services subcommittees and ask them to support funding to expand access to prenatal care for low income women.  Access can be expanded by raising the eligibility level from the current 133% of the FPL (federal poverty level) to 200% of the FPL.  Prenatal care is crucial for healthy babies. 

TAKE ACTION:

Call, email, or fax members of the House and Senate Health and Human Resources subcommittees of the House Appropriations and Senate Finance Committees.  Share your concerns from your faith perspective!  You can find these Senators' and Delegates' faith affiliation and contact information in our first edition of LegisLink:  http://www.virginiainterfaithcenter.org/LegisLink1-14.html (you will be downloading a PDF).  It is acceptable to contact these members even if they do not represent your district.  Members of these important subcommittees are frequently contacted by individuals outside their districts.  At the very minimum, make a point to contact all the UM members of the subcommittees.

Email or fax directly from our web site at:  http://capwiz.com/vic/mail/oneclick_compose/?alertid=6837781 

Please take a moment to personalize the letter on our web site and email or fax it to the members on the subcommittees.  .  It is not helpful for legislators to receive many identical letters!

Senate Finance, HHR subcommittee: Wampler, Lambert, Houck, Howell, Stolle, Potts, Hanger

House Appropriations, HHR subcommittee:  Hamilton.; Cox,; Hogan; Joannou; Jones (Chris); Landes; Morgan; Phillips; Van Landingham (Del. Van Landingham will not be available due to medical issues)

BACKGROUND:

The Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy supports increasing the eligibility level for prenatal care from 133% ($25,070.50 for a family of 4) of the federal poverty level to 200% of the FPL ($37,700 for a family of 4).  As you recall, Gov. Warner included money in his budget amendments for an increase to 175% FPL ($32,987.50 for a family of 4).  While we support this increase, we would like to see women covered up to 200% of the FPL.  Budget amendment numbers will not be available until next week. 

Talking Points

• Current Medicaid eligibility for pregnant women is set at 133% of poverty.  It will take about $2 million more than the Gov. has proposed to increase eligibility to 200% of the poverty level. 
• Forty states have higher eligibility levels.
• Prenatal care is extremely cost effective:  A woman who does not receive prenatal care is three times more likely to deliver a low birth weight baby. Hospital charges for severe premature/low-birth weight babies are sixty times more than an uncomplicated birth.
• By expanding coverage, Virginia would avoid indigent care costs as well as the enormous costs associated with poor birth outcomes from lack of appropriate prenatal care.

_______________________________________________________________

Join the Virginia Interfaith Center on Thursday, February 3^rd from 8 am to 3:30 pm for “A Day at the General Assembly for All People of Faith” (formerly Lutheran, Episcopal, Presbyterian Day).  We will meet at St. Paul’s Episcopal, 815 E. Grace Street, Richmond, but will spend a portion of the day at the Capitol.  See our Web site for more details.  Email office@Virginia Interfaith Center.org or call 804-643-2474 to register.  Your $15 registration fee includes lunch and materials.