CALL NOW: Disastrous Trumpcare On Fast Track to Passage, Unless WE Stop It.

The House Republican bill to repeal the ACA and replace it with “Trumpcare” is on a fast track to becoming law. There are admittedly some problems with the current Affordable Care Act (ACA) insurance marketplaces that need to be fixed. Trumpcare makes every problem worse; “Trumpcare” will offer fewer people far more expensive policies with fewer benefits.

Trumpcare must be stopped. Since 2011 the ACA has brought health insurance to 20 million who would otherwise be uninsured. The House Republican bill to repeal the ACA and replace it with Trumpcare is a cynical sleight of hand that will enrich the wealthy at the cost of the health and lives of ordinary Americans.

Trumpcare will undermine or eliminate protections that apply to everyone’s insurance coverage – premiums and deductibles will be higher; women’s health care will be compromised; Medicaid support will be weakened and ended within three years; and costs for older Americans will skyrocket. The ACA is funded by taxes on the wealthiest Americans; under Trumpcare they will receive a huge tax cut.  Here are some critical points to consider:

1. Trumpcare makes sweeping changes to the current Medicaid system.  Medicaid has been the safety net for low income Americans insuring that they can get essential health care if they are unable to afford it. Trumpcare is designed to push people out of the Medicaid system regardless of their actual income. By creating a block grant funding structure, Trumpcare ends the federal guarantee that everyone will be treated the same and places the burden of denying health care to the poor on the individual states. Trumpcare also threatens services to students with disabilities and students in poverty who now receive assistance under Medicaid.

2. Trumpcare eliminates income based subsidies to help pay for health insurance and replaces them with fixed tax credits based on age. The proposed subsidies are too small to allow modest and low income people to buy adequate insurance. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that under Trumpcare 14 million people will lose their insurance coverage next year; by 2026 an additional 10 million people will lose their health insurance.

3. Trumpcare eliminates the individual mandate to purchase health insurance or face tax penalties, yet still requires insurance companies to cover people with pre-existing conditions. Healthier young people can avoid purchasing coverage until something happens. Eliminating the mandate is popular, but it is essential to the long-term viability of any insurance system that covers people with pre-existing conditions.

4. Trumpcare will hand $660 billion in tax breaks to those making over $200,000/year by removing the taxes on the wealthy that subsidize premiums for lower income individuals.

5.  Trumpcare would bar people from using federal tax credits to buy health insurance plans that cover abortion.  This could lead to insurers stopping offering abortion coverage at all.

ACT NOW

The Hard Ask: Call BOTH of your Senators AND your Representative: “Will you stand up to Trump, Ryan and McConnell to reject the cynical effort to “repeal and replace” and, instead, fix the ACA.” Find your Representatives’ phone numbers here and see our updated recommendations on How to Make a Political Phone Call.

Write a personal email to your Members of Congress AND the White House sharing your concerns about these potentially devastating cuts and changes to the Affordable Care Act. If you have a personal story related to expanded coverage under the A.C.A., include it. Find email addresses here: https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials