St. Charles Advocacy DOUBLE Supplement: Nuns on the Bus at St.C & Healthcare for DREAMers
jus...@stcharleschurch.org
I hope you are all staying safe in the storm. I'm writing because I have the pleasure of inviting you to join us at St. Charles for an exciting event on the morning of Friday, November 2. You've probably heard of “the Nuns on the Bus” – a group of nuns who took a bus tour this summer through several states to speak out against the Ryan budget and to speak for the responsibility of the government to care for the poor. (Here is a link to a segment about them on the Bill Moyers program http://billmoyers.com/segment/inside-nuns-on-a-bus-on-a-mission-of-faith-and-morality/).
On Nov. 2, they are planning a day trip through Virginia, stopping in Richmond and Hampton Roads at the Bon Secours sisters and other social service providers. And...they have asked to kick off the trip at St. Charles!
They will join us for daily Mass at 9 AM, followed by a breakfast reception (fuel for their journey!), at which there will be very brief presentations by some of our social service ministries (Project Lazarus, Marymount nursing services, Borromeo Legal Project, and jail ministry), and then a response from Sister Simone Campbell (the leader of NETWORK, a national Catholic social justice lobbying organization).
You are warmly invited to join us. If you could let me know ASAP if you plan to come, that would be really helpful. But NO PRESSURE to accept the invite. I just think that this opportunity is exciting and wanted to extend to you an offer to be part of it.
Thanks and take care.
Action Needed: Individual and Organizational Comments on Healthcare Eligibility for DREAMers
Background: Despite progress made by the Obama administration to help improve the lives of low-income immigrants, its recent decision to exclude young, healthy individuals who are DREAMers from affordable health care is a huge step backwards. In July 2010, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)’s definition of “lawfully present” for the purposes of eligibility under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) included individuals granted deferred action. However, HHS recently announced an exception to this policy that restricts DACA recipients from being defined as ‘lawfully present’. While DACA recipients can legally stay in the U.S., they will not be covered for pre-existing conditions, will not be able to participate in the healthcare exchanges, will not be able to receive Medicaid or other state or federal health benefits, and will not be able to participate in the Children’s Health Program. Apparently, the administration made this announcement to show that the DACA program does not alter promises that undocumented immigrants would not benefit from the ACA.
How you can help: We are seeking as many individual and organizational comments as possible to take a stand against this harmful decision. You can send written comments to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) before October 29. To get you started, below are some model comments that you can modify. The more comments HHS receives from people of faith and faith-based organizations in particular, the more they will understand that the faith community wants to see DREAMers provided the same access to health care as U.S. citizens as well as others who are granted deferred action.
Send your comments at www.regulations.gov before the deadline — midnight EDT, October 29, 2012.
Search for the rule number on the regulations.gov site -- CMS–9995–IFC2. This will bring up the rule on the "Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan," which is the correct rule, but might not be immediately obvious.
Also, please share this email with your networks, friends, and neighbors, and ask them to send their own letters. Thank you for helping in this effort!
For additional information or resources, visit www.nilc.org or www.weownthedream.org, or call 1-855-DREAM-31 (1-855-373-2631).
Please also forward comments to interfaithi...@gmail.com
Sample Comment:
OctoberXX, 2012
Dear Sir/Madam:
As a person of faith committed to welcoming the stranger and to humane reform of our immigration system, I urge you allow individuals receiving relief through Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) to qualify for coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Other groups who are offered deferred action qualify for coverage under the ACA. HHS’s July 2010 definition of “lawfully present” for the eligibility under the Affordable Care Act included those granted deferred action. However, HHS recently announced an exception that restricts DACA recipients from being considered ‘lawfully present’. I urge the administration to delete this exemption immediately.
Excluding DREAMers from coverage undercuts the spirit of both DACA and the ACA. The goals of DACA are that DREAM Act eligible youth can live in the U.S. without fear of deportation and work to provide for themselves and their families. The recent announcement from the HHS sends a mixed-message – DACA recipients can work, but cannot buy health insurance – thereby undermining their ability to participate and contribute fully to the economy and to their communities.
I urge you, in the spirit of fully embracing immigrant youth as valued members of our society, to include DACA recipients in ACA coverage.
Thank you for your time and attention to these comments.
Sincerely,
[NAME or ORGANIZATION / CITY & STATE / CONTACT INFO]