[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

More on the AHCA Amendment

• Reported Amendment to House ACA Repeal Bill Guts Protections for People with Pre-Existing Conditions – Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
• GOP Proposal on Pre-Existing Conditions Make a Bad Bill Worse – 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