3 Ways to Protest the GOP’s Latest Obamacare Repeal Proposal

House Republicans just took a bad bill that would result in 24 million people losing their insurance and actually made it worse. The latest Republican repeal proposal eliminates key protections for Americans, including protections for people with pre-existing conditions. It also continues — like the original Affordable Care Act (ACA) repeal bill — to gut essential health care that women rely on like maternity care, prescriptions, and hospitalizations.

This legislation is simply the worst legislation for women’s health in a lifetime. How do we know?

For one thing, the members of Congress who wrote it exempted themselves from all the rollbacks. That’s right: Members of Congress would continue to get high-quality coverage and protections, while other Americans could be discriminated against, charged higher prices, and lose maternity coverage.

What to Say to Your Representative

Wondering what, exactly, to say when you call your representative or tag them on social media? Don’t worry — all three actions above provide automated language. If you want to drive home the point that the American people do not want this bad bill, here are two additional talking points:

• The American people want Congress to keep the protections in the Affordable Care Act:
  A ABC-Washington Post poll this week shows that 62% of Americans want to keep national protections that cover essential health benefits, and not allow it to be varied by state.

• The American people also want Congress to stand with Planned Parenthood:
  20 nationwide and 12 state polls show that Americans oppose blocking Medicaid patients from care at Planned Parenthood health centers, as this bill would do.

 

The Legislation’s Dangerous Provisions

When you call or write to your representative, always feel free to point out the most dangerous provisions of the dangerous legislation.

Here they are:

• The Affordable Care Act (ACA) repeal bill eliminates the community rating provision, allowing insurers to charge people with pre-existing conditions an exorbitant amount for coverage.

• Despite the fact that the proposal claims to maintain the current prohibition on gender rating, it still allows insurers to once again discriminate against women and charge more for health care services that women typically rely on.

  • Eliminating the community rating provision disproportionately affects women, since insurers can claim having given birth, having had a C-section, or having been a survivor of domestic violence is a so-called pre-existing condition.

  • For example, a woman who had breast cancer could be charged more than $28,000 per year for coverage and a woman who was previously pregnant could be charged more than $17,000 per year for coverage.

• The repeal bill removes the ACA’s Essential Health Benefits (EHB) coverage standards, which is a direct attack on women of all ages. Women disproportionately rely on every one of the 10 EHB categories that ensure people get comprehensive coverage — not just maternity coverage — and would be disproportionately affected by the elimination of these services.

• It would prohibit women from getting preventive care like birth control and lifesaving cancer screenings at Planned Parenthood health centers.

• It would kick millions of women off their insurance.

• It would reduce access to birth control.

• It would impose a nationwide ban on private insurance coverage of abortion.

 

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