Take Action

ACT NOW: Contact Congress Again to Fund MFP!

March 06, 2018

"MFP has allowed me to be independent and have a purpose for my life.  Because of MFP, I got a job once I moved out of the nursing home, and now I give back trying to get people on the same program.  It's very fulfilling."     

---Marvin Dawkins, MFP Program Participant

Your actions in early February to ask the Senate to fund the Money Follows the Person (MFP) program (#FundMFP) made a big impact.  Now it is time to go all out and make a big push to pass the EMPOWER Care Act!

The MFP program is a Medicaid program that has helped more than 75,000 long-term care consumers move from nursing homes and other institutions to the community.  But the MFP program has expired, and without additional funding, every state will stop transitioning new individuals THIS YEAR.  The March omnibus spending bill may be our last chance to pass the EMPOWER Care Act to extend this important program before funding runs out entirely.

Help long-term care consumers like Marvin continue to transition into the community by taking the following action steps below.

ACT NOW:

1. Wednesday, March 7: Join in the national call-in day.  RSVP to this Facebook event.

2. Thursday, March 8: Participate in the social media day to #FundMFP.  RSVP to this Facebook event.  Use the sample tweets and posts in this Social Media Toolkit when posting to Facebook and Twitter.

3. Before Friday, March 9: Contact your members in Congress by sending a pre-crafted message.  Click here to send your message.  You can personalize your message with the following talking points:

   • The Money Follows the Person Program brings long-term care consumers back home to their communities.

   • The Money Follows the Person program gives consumers greater control over the lives.

   • It’s fiscally responsible! MFP improves the quality of life of individuals while saving states and the federal government Medicaid funding.

   • The program expired over a year ago. Without additional funding, states could scale back programs, potentially withdrawing long-term care services from people who need it.

   • Talk about why this is important for you or someone you know, and your state. MFP frees people! MFP keeps families together! MFP reduces waiting lists!  

Background materials on MFP, the EMPOWER Care Act, and our call-in day are all available at the links above and at https://medicaid.publicrep.org/feature/money-follows-the-person/.  Please spread the word widely to your grassroots and join in our #FundMFP advocacy this week.

By passing the EMPOWER Care Act and funding the Money Follows the Person program, Congress can help more long-term care consumers transition out of nursing homes and into the homes and communities of their choice.