Action Alert: Urge Your Senators to Vote NO on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
from CCD:
Background
On November 17, the House of Representatives passed its version of a tax bill. The Senate is prepared
to act on its bill right after they return from Thanksgiving recess the week of Nov. 27. Both bills would
present serious threats to people with disabilities. A conference committee may have to work out the
differences between the bills, meaning that provisions in either bill could end up in a final tax bill.
Both
bills are harmful because they:
Dramatically reduce tax revenues by nearly $1.5 trillion over 10 years to provide tax cuts that
disproportionately benefit the wealthiest individuals and corporations .
Build pressure to cut Medicaid, Medicare, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and other critical
programs for people with disabilities in order to make up for lost revenue stemming from tax
cuts.
While the neither the House or Senate tax bills directly cut Medicaid, they both would have a
devastating impact on funding available for Medicaid and other services and supports for people with
disabilities.
The House passed a tax bill that has many provisions that harm people with disabilities and their families
by eliminating the following tax deductions and credits:
The deduction for high medical expenses, which is critical to many people with disabilities and
their families
A $2,400 tax credit businesses can get when hiring someone with a disability
A $5,000 tax credit for businesses that make their businesses accessible to people with
disabilities (Architectural Barriers credit)
The incentive to contribute to non-profit agencies that often provide support for people with
disabilities and their families (charitable giving)
The Senate has proposed a bill that is even worse. It includes a provision to repeal the individual
mandate to obtain health insurance. The individual mandate is central to the Affordable Care Act (ACA),
which greatly benefits people with disabilities by eliminating pre-existing condition exclusions, banning
annual and lifetime limits, prohibiting discrimination based on health status, and much more. Repealing
the individual mandate will:
Increase health insurance premiums in the individual market by at least 10% above current
projections for the foreseeable future, making it harder to afford coverage and increasing the
federal government’s costs for people who remain covered (According to the Congressional
Budget Office, Congress’ official scorekeeper)·
Result in almost 14 million fewer people with health care coverage, including 5 million fewer
Medicaid beneficiaries, while increasing inefficient uncompensated care costs by tens of billions
of dollars (also according to the Congressional Budget Office).
Shift approximately $330 billion in federal spending that would otherwise pay for Medicaid and
subsidies to help people buy private coverage, to cover revenues lost due to tax cuts.
In short, this tax bill is really a bad healthcare bill that would raise out-of- pocket costs, increase
uncompensated care, and insure fewer people while at the same time reducing tax revenues that will
increase pressure to cut critical programs like Medicaid, Medicare and SSI on which people with
disabilities rely.
We have a VERY short timeline to stop this very harmful and unpopular legislation. The Senate is
scheduled to vote on its Tax Cuts and Jobs Act the week after thanksgiving, the week of November 27.
TAKE ACTION
Contact your Senators over the Thanksgiving recess.
1. Call your Senators. Call the Capitol Switchboard number 202-224- 3121 and ask for your
Senators.
2. Attend a Town Hall Meeting.
3. Participate in a Tax Plan Protest Event.
WHAT TO SAY:
I am your constituent [a member of (organization)].
Please vote NO on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
This tax bill will hurt people with disabilities and their families.
We cannot afford these tax cuts that disproportionately benefit the wealthiest Americans and
large corporations.
Tax reform should not be rushed. People should have time to understand the bill and how they
will be affected.
Do not repeal the ACA individual mandate. This will further destabilize our health care system,
raise premiums, and could lead to my family losing their health insurance.
This bill will lead to less jobs for people with disabilities.
This House bill will prevent me from using a tax deduction to pay for my medical expenses.
Background
On November 17, the House of Representatives passed its version of a tax bill. The Senate is prepared
to act on its bill right after they return from Thanksgiving recess the week of Nov. 27. Both bills would
present serious threats to people with disabilities. A conference committee may have to work out the
differences between the bills, meaning that provisions in either bill could end up in a final tax bill.
Both
bills are harmful because they:
Dramatically reduce tax revenues by nearly $1.5 trillion over 10 years to provide tax cuts that
disproportionately benefit the wealthiest individuals and corporations .
Build pressure to cut Medicaid, Medicare, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and other critical
programs for people with disabilities in order to make up for lost revenue stemming from tax
cuts.
While the neither the House or Senate tax bills directly cut Medicaid, they both would have a
devastating impact on funding available for Medicaid and other services and supports for people with
disabilities.
The House passed a tax bill that has many provisions that harm people with disabilities and their families
by eliminating the following tax deductions and credits:
The deduction for high medical expenses, which is critical to many people with disabilities and
their families
A $2,400 tax credit businesses can get when hiring someone with a disability
A $5,000 tax credit for businesses that make their businesses accessible to people with
disabilities (Architectural Barriers credit)
The incentive to contribute to non-profit agencies that often provide support for people with
disabilities and their families (charitable giving)
The Senate has proposed a bill that is even worse. It includes a provision to repeal the individual
mandate to obtain health insurance. The individual mandate is central to the Affordable Care Act (ACA),
which greatly benefits people with disabilities by eliminating pre-existing condition exclusions, banning
annual and lifetime limits, prohibiting discrimination based on health status, and much more. Repealing
the individual mandate will:
Increase health insurance premiums in the individual market by at least 10% above current
projections for the foreseeable future, making it harder to afford coverage and increasing the
federal government’s costs for people who remain covered (According to the Congressional
Budget Office, Congress’ official scorekeeper)·
Result in almost 14 million fewer people with health care coverage, including 5 million fewer
Medicaid beneficiaries, while increasing inefficient uncompensated care costs by tens of billions
of dollars (also according to the Congressional Budget Office).
Shift approximately $330 billion in federal spending that would otherwise pay for Medicaid and
subsidies to help people buy private coverage, to cover revenues lost due to tax cuts.
In short, this tax bill is really a bad healthcare bill that would raise out-of- pocket costs, increase
uncompensated care, and insure fewer people while at the same time reducing tax revenues that will
increase pressure to cut critical programs like Medicaid, Medicare and SSI on which people with
disabilities rely.
We have a VERY short timeline to stop this very harmful and unpopular legislation. The Senate is
scheduled to vote on its Tax Cuts and Jobs Act the week after thanksgiving, the week of November 27.
TAKE ACTION
Contact your Senators over the Thanksgiving recess.
1. Call your Senators. Call the Capitol Switchboard number 202-224- 3121 and ask for your
Senators.
2. Attend a Town Hall Meeting.
3. Participate in a Tax Plan Protest Event.
WHAT TO SAY:
I am your constituent [a member of (organization)].
Please vote NO on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
This tax bill will hurt people with disabilities and their families.
We cannot afford these tax cuts that disproportionately benefit the wealthiest Americans and
large corporations.
Tax reform should not be rushed. People should have time to understand the bill and how they
will be affected.
Do not repeal the ACA individual mandate. This will further destabilize our health care system,
raise premiums, and could lead to my family losing their health insurance.
This bill will lead to less jobs for people with disabilities.
This House bill will prevent me from using a tax deduction to pay for my medical expenses.
Comments