Dear [Your Elected Official],

<p>I am writing on behalf of the American Cleft Palate Craniofacial Association (ACPA) <strong>asking you to maintain federal investment in the Medicaid Program and do everything in your power to stop the proposed limits and cuts.</strong><br /> <br />These cuts would devastate the <strong>40%</strong>, or over <strong>37 million</strong> pediatric patients nationwide who are insured by Medicaid. Over 7,000 children are born in the U.S. every year with a cleft lip and/or palate, while 76,000 patients are served by ACPA Approved Teams annually. Children born with cleft lip, cleft palate, and/or other craniofacial differences may require care that is best managed when an interdisciplinary team of medical specialists works with the family to develop and follow a treatment plan. ACPA is dedicated to team care and to optimizing outcomes for patients.<br /> <br />All changes under discussion to offset costs from “reconciliation” during this Congress would be devastating for kids. These changes come under many different names: per capita caps, block granting, work requirements, or roll backs of administrative gains. No matter what the name, they are all cuts to Medicaid and should be opposed.</p> <p>Medicaid is a cost-effective way to cover children. Any cuts to Medicaid will force states to reduce or deny services and eligibility, negatively impacting the health and wellbeing of people, mainly children, with cleft lip, cleft palate, and/or other craniofacial differences. States simply cannot absorb the economic impact of Medicaid cuts. Cutting Medicaid costs will also have long-term consequences due to the mounting costs of uncompensated care and higher costs due to conditions that are not treated in a timely manner.  <br /><br />Please protect those in need of Medicaid, as it provides coverage to one in five Americans, totaling over 70 million people.</p>