Community Catalyst

Caregivers help care for the health and well-being of others, but who makes sure that caregivers are getting the care they need? ? ? Caregivers, whether family caregivers or direct care workers – like home health care aides, nursing assistants, and people who work in residential nursing homes – are providing essential care and support for people in their communities. Still, caregivers are often overlooked and undervalued, evidenced by the lack of policies that support them — like Medicaid expansion and paid family leave.?? ?? This November, let’s give caregivers more than a ‘Thank You’ — let’s make sure they get the care they need.? ? Join our movement & share a photo to show a caregiver in your life that you care for them >> https://commcat.io/4g9AfYn? ? Learn more about our caregiving work >> https://commcat.io/3AVHCnz? ? #NationalFamilyCaregiversMonth #FamilyCaregiverMonth #CaregiverAdvocacy?

We need more caregivers – and we’re not giving them the care they need.? ? Pam is one of more than 80,000 caregivers living without any realistic access to affordable health coverage and care in the 10 states where leaders refuse to expand Medicaid.? ? Learn more about Pam and other caregivers like her who are playing crucial roles in our communities without any access to care themselves >> https://commcat.io/3AVHCnz

People deserve affordable health care – no matter where they live.?? ? Right now, there are still 10 states that haven’t expanded Medicaid. According to a recent KFF poll, over 65% of people in those states think that policymakers should give more people access to health coverage so that they can go to the doctor without worrying about #MedicalDebt.? ? So why are people in power ignoring the needs of their own constituents??We are working with partners in those 10 states to build power toward making health coverage and care a reality for all.? ? You can join us! Share your story about why health care coverage matters to you and tell lawmakers to expand Medicaid >> https://commcat.io/4fJJDlU

We are only as strong as our networks. Now more than ever, we need a united movement of impassioned community organizers, health care and policy experts, advocates with lived experience, and creative storytellers for health justice.?? ? As many of us who have survived under past extremist administrations know, we do so by out-organizing them, building collective power, and doubling down on our shared values.? ? Now is not the time to go backwards.? ? ??? Right now, we want to hear from you: What’s motivating you in this moment as we gear up to protect our health care? https://commcat.io/4fANG3W?

Thanks to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) expanding coverage to over 20 million people, our country has achieved record low levels of uninsurance. The #ACA also protects people with pre-existing conditions from being denied coverage and allows individuals to access preventive care without copays or deductibles. However, our communities now face a coordinated effort to dismantle these achievements. Project 2025 threatens to gut the #Medicaid program with burdensome work requirements, eliminate vital enhanced premium tax credits that made health care more affordable, reduce access to reproductive and maternal care, and strip LGBTQ+ people of access to gender-affirming care. The impact will be devastating—especially for communities of color, working-class families, and those who are already marginalized by systems that discriminate based on race, income, immigration status, gender identity, age, or disability. “Health care is not a luxury—it’s a right. And we cannot allow extremist politicians and special interest groups to take us back to a time when only the wealthiest could afford it,” writes Mona Shah in a new blog. Read more >> https://commcat.io/3ZdvOGz As health care advocates, we have a responsibility to unite and protect our communities' access to affordable, quality care. This open enrollment period is more crucial than ever. We must be ready to defend and protect the ACA.

NEW: Community Catalyst issued a statement in response to the news that President-elect Donald Trump has selected Dr. Mehmet Oz to lead the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. "For communities already harmed by racism, classism, ableism, and other forms of oppression, this appointment could deepen entrenched inequities. The potential dismantling of the Office of Minority Health (OMH) and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) under a Trump administration poses yet another significant threat. These critical programs have made real progress in addressing deeply rooted health disparities by advancing minority health interventions," said Brandon G. Wilson, DrPH, MHA, Co-Interim President and CEO at Community Catalyst. At Community Catalyst, we remain unwavering in our commitment to fighting back against threats to public health and economic justice. Together with our partners, we will continue to build power in our communities to advance bold policy solutions, center the leadership of those most impacted by inequities, and protect the foundational rights and freedoms tied to health and well-being. Read our full statement >> https://lnkd.in/emTFsV4n

Expanding affordable, quality coverage to DACA recipients through the Affordable Care Act is a vital and necessary step toward health equity. It’s important that our communities know their options when it comes to getting the care they want and need.?? ? Don’t miss this opportunity from our partners to learn how #DACA recipients can enroll in ACA coverage!??? ?? ?? Register today: https://bit.ly/3UTwyxT

NEW: Community Catalyst issued the following statement in response to news that President-elect Donald Trump is nominating Robert F. Kennedy Jr to be Secretary of Health and Human Services. “Let’s be clear, Robert F. Kennedy Jr is wholly unqualified and a dangerous pick. His conspiracy theories around vaccines would set back public health and evidence-based science in this country and have an outsized impact on systemically excluded communities. The Senate should reject this nomination," said Brandon G. Wilson, DrPH, MHA, Co-Interim President & CEO of Community Catalyst. Read the full statement >> https://commcat.io/4g7GjB1 ? Learn more about our Vaccine Equity and Access program, which focuses on growing vaccine confidence, access, and availability among communities of color >> https://commcat.io/VEAP ? Learn more about Community Catalyst’s work to advance?Community-First Public Health?priorities >> https://commcat.io/3YSzyM3

Medicaid expansion would provide affordable, quality health care to almost 152,000 Kansans. This would be life-changing coverage, especially for people seeking maternal care.?? ? More than 14% of babies born to Black mothers in Kansas have low birth weights. ? ? "We think that in part that has to do with access to affordable health care, not only later in their pregnancy but also at the beginning and even pre-pregnancy," said April Holman with our partners Alliance for a Healthy Kansas.?? ? Despite the Republican supermajority expanding in Kansas, our partners and advocates are ready to make #MedicaidExpansion a reality.?? ? Read more from Suzanne Potter in Public News Service >> https://bit.ly/4ewgQ2T

The election results underscore the need to remain firm against powerful special interests and extremist politicians working to strip away our freedoms. For many—especially people of color and communities with lower incomes in the South—the threats in Project 2025 are not new but a lived reality shaped by deeply rooted racism, classism, sexism, and other forms of oppression. And this harms us all. As advocates for health justice and those who have persevered through administrations prioritizing profit over people know, the journey to a future where health is a right for all is a marathon, not a sprint. Community Catalyst is unwavering in its commitment to this future. We’re partnering with a broad network of partners to harness the power within our communities to hold policymakers and health systems accountable to their communities. Together, we’re building a movement rooted in equity, fairness, and justice. Join us in the work toward a healthier, more just world.?Read our statement >> https://commcat.io/4fDKKmR