Possible Vote This Week -- Take Action Now
 Unfortunately, new conversations between the president and House Freedom Caucus have resurrected the American Health Care Act and the House may try to push a vote through before FRIDAY! The new negotiations keep all of the horrible provisions regarding Medicaid and defunding of Planned Parenthood. But in addition, it now would allow states to eliminate key protections of the ACA. For example, states could decide that insurance companies no longer have to cover essential health benefits (prescription drugs, doctor visits or maternity care) and that states can charge women or people with pre-existing conditions as much as they want. As the New York Times wrote: "... the proposed changes would effectively cast the Affordable Care Act's pre-existing conditions provision aside."
HERE'S WHAT WE KNOW ABOUT THE LATEST REPUBLICAN PLAN:
- Keeps all the devastating cuts to Medicaid -- cuts up to $880 billion over 10 years and imposes a per capita cap or block grant on Medicaid.
- Allows insurance corporations to charge people with pre-existing conditions whatever they want. The proposal guts the protection against health insurers hiking premiums for people with pre-existing conditions by repealing the "community rating" provision.
- Provides barebones insurance that doesn't require any coverage. Allows states to waive essential health benefit requirements so insurers wouldn't have to cover hospitals, doctors, prescriptions, lab tests, mental health, maternity and newborn care, and care for substance use disorders.
- Allows insurance companies to cap how much they pay for care. Eliminating essential health benefits (EHBs) also eliminates the prohibition on health insurance companies putting annual or lifetime limits on how much they pay for care because those are linked to EHBs.
- Higher Premiums for People Who Actually Need Health Care: Health insurance companies will sell barebones plans which leave off basic coverage at a low price and hike the prices of coverage that covers care people actually need, with the biggest hikes for people who have had any medical care.
- Keeps the provisions that raise premiums for older individuals, lower tax credits, eliminate cost-sharing reductions, and defunds Planned Parenthood.
ACT NOW: Call your Representative and tell them to reject this latest effort to repeal the ACA and destroy Medicaid. Here's a call tool or use the following numbers (thanks SEIU!) English: 866-426-2631; Spanish: 877-736-7831 ( only Republican members).
ASK: Do not take away our care. Do not gut protections for people with pre-existing conditions. Stop trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act and destroy Medicaid.
ALSO: Congress will be in recess during the next two weeks. Please check out Resistance Recess to join events to tell members of Congress to stop trying to yank health care coverage from vulnerable people.
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