The following alert is from the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law:
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Stop the dangerous SCOTUS case that will Undermine Medicaid & other Safety Net Programs
Help us stop the dangerous Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) case, Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County (HHC) V. Talevski, that will undermine Medicaid & other safety net programs. Civil Rights and Disability Rights organizations are sounding the alarm and urging immediate action to keep this case out of the Supreme Court. The stakes in this case are extremely high.
Congress intended for the people, not just the federal government, to hold state and local governments accountable to uphold and enforce civil rights laws. HHC’s petition to the Supreme Court asks the Court to rule that individuals may no longer sue to protect their rights under a broad range of statutes:
Medicaid - federal health insurance for low-income adults, children, pregnant people, elderly adults, and people with disabilities.
Federal Nursing Home Reform Act - sets quality standards for federal nursing homes.
Medicare - federal health insurance for people 65 or older, and for some people with disabilities.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) - financial assistance that enables low-income families and individuals to purchase healthy food.
Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) - provides health coverage to eligible children.
Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) - provides temporary assistance to low-income families with children to achieve economic self-sufficiency.
Adoption Assistance and Child Welfare Act - establishes protections for children in foster care or at risk for placement, including safety measures.
Juvenile Justice Delinquency and Preventive Act Provisions - imposes protections for children and youth in or at risk for detention, including strict limits on incarceration and mandates to separate children from adults.
McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Programs, Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program - ensures educational rights and protections for children experiencing homelessness.
The Supreme Court’s decision in this case could also limit the power of important civil rights laws that protect individuals. These laws place nondiscrimination obligations on state and local governments when they accept and use federal dollars. Specifically:
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex);
Title VI of the Civil Rights Act (prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, or national origin);
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability)
This case puts numerous socio-economic and historically marginalized communities at risk, including those who identify as: Disabled, Black, Indigenous, People of Color, working class, low-income, elderly, children, families in the foster care system, needy families, people experiencing homelessness, and more.
Take Action!
Sign on to our letter to urge HHC to withdraw here.
Join our inter-community sit-in (virtual or in-person in Indianapolis) here.
Learn more about the case and share our fact sheet here.
Text HHC to 52886
Share or create posts using the hashtags #Talevski and #Protect504. Tag HHC board members in your posts (Contact information is in the fact sheet above).
Share what these programs and your rights mean to you on social media.
Follow us on social media @bazeloncenter to stay updated
Send a letter to the HHC Board of Directors:
Health & Hospital Corporation of Marion County - Attn: Board of Trustees 3838 North Rural Street - Indianapolis, IN 46205
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If you are interested in disability advocacy issues like this one, contact Colleen Downs, Systems Advocate at:
518-563-9058 Ext. 110
The Mission of the North Country Center for Independence is to help people with disabilities to live more independent and productive lives, and promote better policies and community understanding of disability issues. NCCI serves people with disabilities, families, and the community on issues related to physical and mental disabilities. NCCI is led and staffed mostly by people with disabilities. It is one of the 41 Independent Living Centers in New York State. There are also hundreds of similar centers throughout the United States. NCCI serves Clinton and Essex Counties, New York.