As you know, the FOA's chief sponsors, Senators Grassley and Kennedy, and Representatives Sessions, Upton, Waxman, Barret and Dreier recently sent a joint letter to you asking for your support and leadership to pass the measure before the end of Congress. It is seen as a pragmatic and responsible policy effort to ensure that children with disabilities have access to a broad range of needed health care services and supports. The most critical provisions of the bill would ensure that more children with significant disabilities have access to medically necessary health care. Currently, these children are ineligible for Medicaid based on family income. Unfortunately, these children are often uninsured or underinsured because health insurance in not available through an employer, is too expensive, or offers very limited services.
Time is very short.
We ask that you make The Family Opportunity Act one of your top priorities for passage this Congress. Sincerely, Deborah A. Ziegler Assistant Executive Director Public Policy President Clinton Celebrates Disability Mentoring Day On Wednesday, October 25, President Clinton honored National Disability Mentoring Day and National Disability Employment Awareness month by applauding the mentoringactivities that the federal government and public and private employers will be conducting across the nation to help expand employment opportunities for young people with disabilities. The Clinton-Gore Administration is taking several new actions to continue its efforts to help people with disabilities enter the workforce. The President also recognized the winners of a Disability Mentoring Day Essay Contest and the public and private partners responsible for organizing Mentoring Day activities in 14 states. These efforts will highlight the contributions and increase the employment opportunities of young people with disabilities, bringing us closer to achieving full inclusion of people with disabilities in our nation's historic economic growth and prosperity.