Grassroots Network: The Associated Press: THE INFLUENCE GAME: Birth centers fight for fees

Dear Friends,

The American Association of Birth Centers has been working hard to get birth center facility fees covered by Medicaid. (Hospital facility fees are covered, and birth centers need the same to survive.) Of course, birth centers are an excellent maternity care option for out-of-hospital birth, although they are underutilized and unavailable in many areas. And, about half of birth centers are owned by certified professional midwives.

The attached AP article about this initiative and AABC's lobbyist Karen Fennell was published in the Washington Post, New York Times, salon, Boston Globe, ABC news, CBS news, and numerous other media across the country Sept. 29 and 30.

You can read one of these articles here:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jwHAbNRHRHIUYpPtHW4AaZpdC_fwD9B0F0MG3

See AABC's Legislative Alert below, and see what you can do to support this effort!

Sincerely,
Susan Hodges, "gatekeeper"

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AABC's Legislative Alert: Seize the Opportunity to Capitalize on AP Article

The Associated Press has written an article about our legislative effort - "The Influence Game - Birth Centers Fight for Fees" - and it is being picked nationwide! So far it has been picked up by websites of ABC news and CBS news and salon.com, the liberal online newspaper, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, and many local newspapers all over the country.

This is a tremendous opportunity to not only gain media attention for your center but also to put pressure on your Representatives and Senators to sign-on to the Medicaid Birth Center Reimbursement Act (H.R. 2358, S.1423)

Steps to Take:

1) Send the article (via email link or fax) to your Congressperson in both their district offices and DC offices.
2) Contact your local news media and see if they have picked up the story. If you have a birth center, invite them for a tour. Tie the article to your community.

3) If the article has run in your local paper, write a letter to the editor commenting on the story. Mention your local birth centers (or need for one in your community) and whether or not your Representative and Senators have signed on.

Important Links:

AP Article:
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jwHAbNRHRHIUYpPtHW4AaZpdC_fwD9B0F0MG3

Bill Sponsors
http://www.birthcenters.org/legislative-alerts/index.php?id=29

Sincerely,
Jill Alliman, CNM, MSN
Chair, Legislative Committee
American Association of Birth Centers