Tell Congress: Fund the Money Follows the Person Program

UPDATE: November 12, 2018
Great news! The IMPROVE Act (H.R. 7217) - which funds the Money Follows the Person program - passed the U.S. House of Representatives. Calls are still needed for the Senate. If funds to move out of institutional care are priorities for you, you should call the Capitol Switchboard at: (202) 224-3121 (voice) or (202) 224-3091(tty) and ask to be connected to your senators.

An action alert from The Arc's national office:

Congress may vote this week on the future of the Money Follows the Person program. Money Follows the Person has helped more than 88,000 seniors and individuals with disabilities move out of nursing homes and institutions.

Please call Congress:

• Senator Maria Cantwell: 206-220-6400 (Thank her! She co-sponsored an earlier version of the bill)
• Senator Patty Murray: 206-553-5545
• House switchboard (they can connect you to your Congressional district representative): (202) 224-3121 

Background: Money Follows the Person significantly improves the lives of older adults and people with disabilities by assisting them to transition out of institutional settings. By favoring community-based services, states save money and see better outcomes. That's why nearly every state has participated in the program.

Money Follows the Person expired September 30, 2016, and states are running out of funding. Seven states are already out of funding and ALL programs will end by the end of 2018.

Congress must act now!

You can learn more about Money Follows the Person here.

You can learn more about the IMPROVE Act here.

Talking points: 

• Please protect our Medicaid. The IMPROVE Act - which funds the Money Follows the Person Program - helps get individuals with disabilities and seniors back home.
  

• It is about quality of life: Money Follows the Person Program brings people with disabilities and older adults back home to their communities and gives people greater control over the lives.
• It is fiscally responsible. Money Follows the Person improves the quality of life for individuals and reduces the Medicaid and Medicare costs of participants by about 23 percent. That saves states and the federal government money.

Unfortunately, states have already stopped transitions to the community and are scaling back their programs, reducing dedicated staff and crucial resources. Without action now, more people will be stuck in institutions.

Act now: Ask your Members of Congress to vote yes on the IMPROVE Act (H.R. 7217), which includes funding for Money Follows the Person for one year.

EMPOWER people to move into communities

Funding for an important Medicaid program has run out; but Sen. Cantwell is co-sponsoring a bill to refinance it

-
The future of a program that has helped more than 75,000 people with disabilities and seniors move out of nursing homes and institutions is in jeopardy.

Enacted in 2005 with strong bipartisan support, Money Follows the Person (MFP) is one of the longest running, most successful Medicaid demonstrations.

Money Follows the Person improves the lives of people with disabilities, and does so in a more cost-effective way than institutional settings. By favoring community-based services, states save money and see better outcomes for their residents. That’s why nearly every state has participated in the program. Independent evaluations have shown Money Follows the Person improves the quality of life for individuals, and reduced Medicaid and Medicare expenditures by approximately 23 percent.

Unfortunately, MFP expired September 30, 2016, and states are running out of funding. As a result, states are scaling back their programs, reducing dedicated staff and crucial resources. Last year was the first time that the number of people transitioned to the community declined.

Washington's Senator Maria Cantwell and Ohio's Senator Portman have introduced bipartisan legislation (EMPOWER Care Act - S. 2227) to improve and extend the program for five years. If this issue is important to you, you should contact Senator Cantwell and Senator Murray.