Act Now: Pennsylvania Could See an $850 Million Hole in the Recently Passed State Budget

While the state budget has been passed, there is unfortunately still work to do as the budget includes $850 million in federal funding that Congress has yet to approve.

This funding would come from the extension of the federal percentage of matching funds for state Medicaid expenditures, known as the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP). The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 enhanced the FMAP contribution for states through December 2010. Legislation now before Congress would extend the enhanced FMAP funding to states through June 2011, but the bill has stalled.

If Congress fails to approve the FMAP funding, the Governor and legislators will have to find another way to balance the budget, which will likely require cuts in funding for critical human services.

If you believe this funding is important, please contact your federal legislators today and urge them to extend FMAP. Below is a sample message, please feel free to add your own stories or thoughts about why this funding is so important.

Dear

As a member of your district, I am writing today to urgently ask you to continue the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) for states in the coming year. Pennsylvania recently passed a state budget that included $850 million in FMAP funding that has not yet been passed by Congress. With the additional funding, the General Assembly was able to limit the cuts that were made to programs that truly help Pennsylvanians during this particularly difficult time, such as adult literacy and education, job training, child care, health care, and other needs vital to success in this economy.

Please continue to support workers, families, and children by passing the FMAP extension and ensuring critical programs are available for Pennsylvanians.