Action Alert! Healthcare Repeal Bill Eliminates Protections for People with Pre-Existing Conditions

[Update: May 1, 2017]

Another vote on the American Health Care Act (AHCA) – the legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) – is expected sometime this week, possibly as early as Wednesday. Community Catalyst developed a list of Representatives that need to hear how this healthcare bill will harm people with disabilities. If your Representative is on this list please call them today!

Targets Who Opposed AHCA, but have not yet reconfirmed their opposition to the new repeal bill:

AR-01 Rick Crawford – 202 225 4076
MD-01 Andy Harris – 202 225 5311
NJ_11 Rodney Frelinghuysen – 202 225 5023
NJ-04 Chris Smith – 202 225 3765
NV-02 Mark Amodei – 202 225 6155
NY-24 John Katko – (202) 225-3701
OH-10 Mike Turner – 202 225 6465
OH-14 Dave Joyce – 202 225 5731
PA-04 Scott Perry – 202 225 5836
TX-23 Will Hurd – 202 225 4511
VA-01 Rob Wittman – 202 225 4261
VA-10 Barbara Comstock – 202 225 5136

Targets who supported or were undecided on AHCA that do not yet oppose the new repeal bill:

AL01 Bradley Byrne – 202 225 4931
FL02 Neal Dunn – 202 225 5235
CA-08 Paul Cook – 202 225 5861
CA-25 Steve Knight – 202 225 1956
CA-39 Ed Royce – 202 225 4111
CA-45 Mimi Walters – 202 225 5611
CA-48 Dana Rohrabacher – 202 225 2415
CA-49 Darrell Issa – 202 225 3906
CO-03 Scott Tipton – 202 225 4761
CO-06 Mike Coffman – 202 225 7882
FL-18 Brian Mast – 202 225 3026
FL-25 Mario Diaz-Balart – 202 225 4211
FL-26 Carlos Curbelo – 202 225 2778
ME-02 Bruce Poliquin – 202 225 6306
NY-02 Peter King: (202) 225-7896
NY-19 John Faso: (202) 225-5614
NY-21 Elise Stefanik: (202) 225-4611
NY-22 Claudia Tenney – 202 225 3665
OH-07 Bob Gibbs – 202 225 6265
PA-06 Ryan Costello – 202 225 4315
PA-07 Pat Meehan – 202 225 2011
PA-18 Tim Murphy – 202 225 2301

Targets who have reconfirmed a ‘No’ on the repeal bill:

NJ-02, Frank LoBiondo – 202 225 6572
NJ-07, Leonard Lance – 202 225 5361
NY-11 Dan Donovan: (202) 225-3371
PA-15 Charlie Dent – 202 225 6411
PA-08 Brian Fitzpatrick – 202 225 4276
FL-27 Ileana Ros-Lehtinen – 202 225 3931
CA-10 Jeff Denham – 202 225 4540

April 27, 2017

Earlier this week a new healthcare proposal emerged to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This proposal, which includes an amendment to the American Health Care Act (AHCA), retains the harmful aspects of the old bill and now eliminates protections for people with pre-existing conditions, including people with disabilities.

The American Health Care Act still:

Cuts $800 billion from Medicaid
Makes 24 million people lose their health care
Increases the number of people going into nursing homes and institutions

The amendment also makes things worse for people with disabilities by allowing states to:

Reduce or eliminate essential health benefits (including prescription drugs, mental health services, rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices, and more)
Charge more for those who have a pre-existing condition

This amendment is gaining support in the House of Representatives and could come to a vote soon – your Representative needs to hear from you! Tell them to save Medicaid and protections for people with pre-existing conditions.

Take Action:

Contacting Congress allows you to easily search for your Member of Congress and access multiple methods to contact them (phone, email, Facebook, Twitter, etc.).

Call your Representative through the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121. Despite multiple methods of communications, congressional offices respond best to in-person meetings and phone calls.

Tweet your Representative and use the hashtage #ProtectOurCare, #SaveMedicaid, #KeepAmericaCovered, and/or #CoverageMatters

[handle of your Representative] Stop the campaign to repeal the ACA. #SaveMedicaid and people with pre-existing conditions. #ProtectOurCare

Message:

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is the most significant law for people with disabilities since the Americans with Disabilities Act:

Because of the ACA, health insurers can’t deny health insurance or charge higher premiums if you have a disability or chronic condition.
Because of the ACA, there aren’t arbitrary financial limits to how much health care you can get in a year or in your lifetime.
Because of the ACA, more people with disabilities and chronic health conditions are able to access health care due to the Medicaid expansion.
Converting Medicaid to a per capita cap or block grant system would result in funding cuts.
Medicaid cuts lead to the loss of home and community-based services and supports.
Medicaid cuts lead to the loss of critical services such as personal care, mental health, prescription drugs, and rehabilitative services.
Medicaid cuts shift the cost of providing health care and long-term services and supports to individuals and families.
Do NOT support the American Health Care Act.
Do NOT allow the structure of the Medicaid program to be weakened. Per capita caps and block grants would decimate the program on which people with disabilities and seniors rely for critical healthcare and community services.
Do NOT allow states to opt out of requiring health plans to cover basic health care; keep healthcare affordable for people with pre-existing conditions, including people with disabilities.

If you need guidance on how to advocate with your Member of Congress check out these resources:

Civic Engagement Toolbox For Self-Advocates – Autistic Self Advocacy Network
How to Set up a Meeting with Your Member of Congress – Families USA

Additional Resources

Join the Fight to Protect Medicaid
Resource from the Center for Public Representation to help people with disabilities, their families, and advocates/allies understand the impact of the changes proposed in the AHCA and give them the tools to advocate.
Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities Fact Sheet about the ACA
Consortium of Citizens with Disabilities Medicaid Fact Sheet
The Arc Medicaid Overview