The latest Republican assault on our healthcare is scheduled for a vote next week. Of all the different versions of their attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, the Graham-Cassidy bill that will be voted on by the Senate is by far the worst.
If Donald Trump signs this bill into law, the consequences will be catastrophic.
Insurance companies will be able to discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions and impose lifetime coverage caps that keep sick people from getting the care they need. Insurance companies will not, however, be required to offer plans that provide basic medical care for women’s reproductive needs, or even offer coverage for maternity care.
Millions of people will lose their healthcare when individual markets collapse. Millions more will lose their coverage when states are forced to absorb the enormous cuts to Medicaid. California alone will lose billions of dollars from our state budget, and more than 33 million people nationwide will lose healthcare.
Let’s be absolutely clear: if this bill becomes law, people are going to die.
It is imperative that Democrats stop this monstrous, breathtakingly cruel bill from becoming law. Here are three simple steps you can take to stop this travesty and save the Affordable Care Act:
- Call your Member of Congress and Senator to demand they vote NO. Simply call (202) 224-3121 and the switchboard operators will connect you to your Representative and Senator. Here’s a sample script you can use when calling:“Hello, this is ____________. I’m a constituent of Representative/Senator ____________, and I’m calling to ask the Representative/Senator to vote NO on the Graham-Cassidy healthcare repeal bill. If this cruel and heartless bill becomes law, 33 million people will lose their healthcare. This is poorly written legislation that is opposed by every major medical and patient’s rights organization, including the American Medical Association, the American Cancer Society and the AARP. Please do the right thing and vote NO on the Graham Cassidy bill.”
- Post a message on social media using #SaveACA. A person telling their healthcare story is one of the most powerful weapons we have to stop this bill from becoming law. Write a post on Facebook/Instagram/Twitter or your favorite social media platform. Simply telling people why healthcare is important to you, personally, can have a powerful impact, and inspire others to share their stories as well. Make sure you use the #SaveACA hash tag so that your story gets spread as far as possible.
- Forward this e-mail to your friends and family in other states. California is lucky to have two Democratic U.S. Senators and 39 Representatives who are fiercely opposed to the repeal of the Affordable Care Act—but other states aren’t so lucky. Forward this message on to your friends in other states so they can call their Representatives and Senators too.
We have fought hard to protect the millions of Americans who depend on the Affordable Care Act for their healthcare. We’ve beaten back every effort so far—but only because Democrats were organized, focused and forceful in our opposition.
Millions of people in California and across the country are depending on us to mobilize to stop this law.
We cannot and will not let them down.
Democratically Yours,
Eric C. Bauman, R.N., Chair
California Democratic Party
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