January 9, 2017
Congressional leaders have declared that one of their first goals in the new Congress is to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA or Obamacare) and "replace" it. While Congress has passed many bills to repeal the ACA in the past, it was clear that President Obama would veto them. But this is not the case with President–elect Donald Trump who says he will sign an ACA repeal bill.
The Senate is planning to pass a budget that will begin the process of repealing the ACA as soon as JANUARY 11. This is the first step in taking health care away before having a plan to replace it.
We must educate our Members of Congress before January 11th about why the ACA is so important to everyone, but especially to people with disabilities.
There are key provisions in the ACA that support the health and well-being of people with disabilities that we cannot lose:
- Because of the ACA, health insurers can't deny you health insurance 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 receive supports and live in the community, not institutions.
- Because of the ACA, 20 million adults and children now have health insurance, thanks to the Medicaid Expansion and the health insurance subsidies, and millions of young adults have been able to stay on their parents' health insurance.
- Because of the ACA, health insurers started to provide people with the services they need–like mental health services and rehabilitation and habilitation services and devises
There are countless other provisions in the ACA that are important to people with disabilities. The ACA has unquestionably improved access to care for people with disabilities and chronic conditions to help them live healthy, independent, and fulfilling lives.
TAKE ACTION
Call the US Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected to your Senator's office. Tell your Senator:
- Vote NO on the Budget package that leads to eliminating the Affordable Care Act.
- People with disabilities need access to comprehensive and affordable health care.
- Congress must include the disability community in any discussion about repeal and replace to ensure that any changes meet the needs of people with disabilities.
SAMPLE TWEETS TO YOUR SENATORS
Vote NO on Senate budget. People w #disabilities rely on #ACA for comprehensive health care http://bit.ly/2jjeZau
Affordable Care Act = affordable comprehensive care for people w/#disabilities. Don't repeal it! http://bit.ly/2jjeZau
11 million at risk of losing Medicaid if #ACA repealed http://kaiserf.am/2gacF4c