Thursday, July 20, 2017

Action Alert - AAPD! We're Not Out Of The Woods Yet On Republican Healthcare Attempts To Repeal and/or Replace!

The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) has shared the following Action Alert to help the disability community, family members, friends, advocates, etc. information on the continuing issues of the attempts to repeal and/or replace the nation's healthcare system we have. Please take a few moments to review the below information and resources. TY!
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Action Alert!
We're not out of the woods yet on Healthcare

 

Please continue visiting, calling, tweeting, and emailing your Senators!

July 20, 2017

Thank you so much for all of your advocacy over the past few weeks to to protest the American Health Care Act and Better Care Reconciliation Act – together we sent the message loud and clear that we will not sit idly by as our healthcare and services are stripped away. Your advocacy made a difference!

Unfortunately, the Senate is still not listening. The effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and harm Medicaid is back again with two new versions.

The Senate’s “Better Care Reconciliation Act” (BCRA) and a new bill, the “Obamacare Repeal Reconciliation Act” (ORRA), are being readied for a vote next week. It is unclear which bill the Senate will move on at this point, but we expect a “motion to proceed” sometime next week — likely Tuesday or Wednesday. These bills are harmful to people with disabilities for many reasons.
  • The ORRA cuts taxes on the rich by removing health care from the poor and middle class
  • The ORRA would eliminate health care coverage for 32 million people by 2026; 17 million by next year (Congressional Budget Office)
  • The ORRA would increase health care plan premiums by at least 100%
  • The ORRA stops all Medicaid expansion at the end of 2019 (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities)
  • The BCRA guts Medicaid by cutting over $700 billion
  • Both bills make it harder to provide home and community based services by eliminating the Community First Choice option for Medicaid
  • Both bills eliminate the protections against discrimination for pre-existing conditions
  • Both bills eliminate the requirement for essential health benefits (which include prescription drugs, mental health services, rehabilitative and habilitative services, and devices, and more)
Bar graph developed by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities to highlight how ACA Repeal-Without-Replace Would Lead to 32 Million Losing Coverage and Individual Market Collapse. The increase in uninsured would be 17 million the first year after the bill is enacted, 27 million after three years, and 32 million by 2026. Premiums would increase by 25% the first year after the bill is enacted, by 50% after three years, and by 100% by 2026. The share of people living in areas with no individual market insurers would be 10% the first year after the bill is enacted, 50% after three years, and 75% by 2026.
Vertical bar graph produced by the Congressional Buget Office to show the Net Effects of the Obamacare Repeal Reconciliation Act of 2017 on the Budget Deficit. The repeal of Medicaid expansion woudl cut Medicaid funding by $842 billion. Termination of subsidies for nongroup health insurance would decrease the budget deficit by $454 billion due to cutting tax credits and selected coverage provisions. Reduced collections of penalty payments from employers and uninsured peopel would add $210 billion to the budget deficit. Repeal of taxes on high-income people, the annual fee imposed on health insurers, and excise taxes enacted under the ACA would increase the budget deficit by $613 billion. Overall the ORRA would reduce the budget deficit by $473 billion.

TAKE ACTION!


Everyone needs to continue visiting, calling, tweeting, and emailing their Senators to tell them to vote no on the motion to proceed to consider these bills. All Senators must understand the damage this bill will do to the lives and liberty of people with disabilities and their families. We are grateful for all the advocacy you have already done – it has been effective. Please, keep it up!
 

Contact your Senators

The message is clear:

“Senator _____ must reject any bill that causes large coverage losses, ends the Medicaid expansion, caps and cuts the Medicaid program, or guts critical protections for people with health conditions.”
 
Focus on telling stories when you meet with, call, or contact your Senators. Write stories or record brief 60-90 second videos about you, your child, your parent, your relatives, or your friends who have a disability and need the support of Medicaid and health care. Include pictures. Share these stories on Facebook and Twitter and ask your friends and family to do the same. Our Senators need to see the human face of Medicaid.

The most effective outreach is to meet with your Senator (or their staff) in-person. When you do so, share your story of how access to health care and home and community-based services are important to you or your loved ones with disabilities. Those stories will particularly be impactful.

Contacting Congress allows you to easily search for your Senators and access information on their D.C. offices.  

Engage your Senators through Social Media


Tweet your Senators and use the hashtags #SaveMedicaid, #NoCutsNoCaps, #ProtectOurCare, #ADAPTandRESIST, #KeepAmericaCovered, and/or #CoverageMatters
 

Sample Tweets:

  • [insert your Senator’s Twitter handle] Over 10 million people with disabilities rely on #Medicaid for healthcare coverage. Please – #ProtectOurCare & #SaveMedicaid.
     
  • [insert your Senator’s Twitter handle] Don’t allow insurers to discriminate against people w/ disabilities because of pre-existing conditions. #ProtectOurCare
     
  • [insert your Senator’s Twitter handle] The #BCRA is a threat the life, liberty, and independence of people with disabilities. #ProtectOurCare #SaveMedicaid
     
  • [insert your Senator’s Twitter handle] Medicaid provides essential services to millions of people with disabilities. #SaveMedicaid #NoCutsNoCaps
     
  • [insert your Senator’s Twitter handle] Repeal without a replacement is not an option! #SaveMedicaid #NoCutsNoCaps #ProtectOurCare
 
States to Target:
  • Arizona
  • Alaska
  • Colorado
  • Indiana
  • Maine
  • Nevada
  • North Dakota
  • Ohio
  • Pennsylvania
  • West Virginia
Please be sure to thank Senators Capito (R-WV), Collins (R-ME), and Murkowski (R-AK) for their commitment to not vote for a repeal bill without a replacement.
 

Contact your Governors

While Senators have the most direct influence on the legislative future of the BCRA and ORRA, contacting Governors is another great way to put additional pressure on Senators. You can find contact information for governors here.
 

Social Media Graphics:

You are welcome to use any of the graphics below as part of your social media outreach. Thank you to SuMo Design Workshop for pulling these together!

 

A photo of disability advocates marching in Washington, DC with the Capitol Building in the background. The top right corner of the image reads "#SaveMedicaid #NoCutsNoCaps #ADAPTandRESIST Call your Senators Now! 202-224-3121" and includes the AAPD logo.
A photo of disability advocates marching in Washington, DC with the Capitol Building in the background. The top right corner of the image reads "#SaveMedicaid #NoCutsNoCaps #ADAPTandRESIST Call your Senators Now! 202-224-3121" and includes the AAPD logo.
A photo of disability advocates marching in Washington, DC with the Capitol Building in the background. Two advocates are holding a sign that reads "America for ALL" At the top of the image is a box with "#SaveMedicaid" in the middle. The bottom of the image reads "Call your Senators Now! 202-224-3121"
A photo of disability advocates marching in Washington, DC with the Capitol Building in the background. The top right of the image reads "#SaveMedicad #ADAPTandRESIST" and includes the AAPD logo. The text in the center of the image reads "Vote as if your life depends on it, because it does" - Justin Dart Call your Senator: 202-224-3121 Tell them to VOTE NO! on #TrumpCare"

Additional Resources and Analyses

 

Previous AAPD Healthcare Action Alerts


The American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD) is a convener, connector, and catalyst for change, increasing the political and economic power of people with disabilities.
Copyright © 2017 American Association of People with Disabilities, All rights reserved. 

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