After weeks of secret deal-making among a handful of Republican Senators, the Senate version of the American Health Care Act (AHCA), technically called the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA), was finally released. Bottom line: It is a tax cut for the wealthy at the expense of the lives of vulnerable Americans.
Like the House version, the Senate Trumpcare bill will devastate millions of Americans by:
- Gutting Medicaid
- Allowing states to strip out consumer protections currently required under the Affordable Care Act, such as maternity care, emergency services and mental health treatment
- Block Planned Parenthood from receiving reimbursement for providing preventative healthcare services
It’s ironic that the party currently using the slogan “Make America Great Again” plan to destroy Medicaid, a program that was initially established to shore up national security after it was discovered that half of all applicants for the armed forces in 1962 were rejected for military service due to poor health. The 1964 report, “One Third of a Nation: A Report on Young Men Found Unqualified for Military Service,” concluded that the widespread poor health of the nation’s 18-year-old men was attributed to “inadequate education and insufficient health services.”
Today, millions of Americans rely on Medicaid to meet their healthcare needs.
Facts about Medicaid and Who Relies on it in Pennsylvania:
- Nearly two-thirds of all Medicaid spending is for senior citizens and people with disabilities.
- Six in 10 nursing home residents are covered by Medicaid.
- Medicaid coverage contributes to a decline in maternal and infant mortality.
- Medicaid bolsters the private insurance industry by keeping costs down. Since Medicaid covers people with serious illnesses and disabilities, it effectively functions as a high-risk pool for the private insurance industry. Also, Medicaid supplements private insurance coverage for people with disabilities.
- Medicaid supplements Medicare. One in five Medicare beneficiaries are “dual eligibles” who rely on Medicaid to supplement Medicare by contributing to out-of-pocket costs, and relying on Medicaid for dental and vision care and coverage.
- Expansions of Medicaid for pregnant women and children have led to improved birth outcomes and child health.
- In Pennsylvania, Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) provide health and long-term care coverage to more than 2.9 million low-income children, pregnant women, adults, seniors, and people with disabilities in Pennsylvania.
- Two in five children in Pennsylvania are covered by Medicaid, 3 in 5 nursing home residents, and 1 in 2 people with disabilities.
- Under Pennsylvania’s Medicaid expansion in 2014, 702, 800 adults were added to Medicaid, including 82,000 veterans.
TAKE ACTION: CONTACT PENNSYLVANIA’S U.S. SENATORS:
Senator Bob Casey has said he is opposed to this bill. Senator Pat Toomey was one of the handful of Senators who designed it.
Contact Pennsylvania Senators Pat Toomey and Bob Casey and urge them to protect our care. Click here to send them an email.
You can also contact them other ways, too:
- Senator Pat Toomey is on Facebook and twitter. Toomey’s phone number is (202) 224-4254.
- Senator Bob Casey is on Facebook and twitter. Casey’s phone number is (202)-224-6324.
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