The most recent effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is by some accounts the worst yet. The Cassidy-Graham bill would end Medicaid as we know it, eliminate treatment options in the middle of an opioid epidemic, and end federal protections for preexisting conditions, lifetime treatment caps, and much more. It also redirects funding from states that adopted Obamacare to rural and southern states which did not. For Pennsylvania this would mean an impressive loss of $850 million per year.

In Philadelphia over 200,000 of our neighbors have received health insurance through expanded Medicaid or the ACA exchanges, and over 1 million of us have benefited from  protections for preexisting conditions and the ban on lifetime caps. In addition, the ACA has helped deepen relationships between nonprofit hospitals and CDCs to improve community health, such as through addressing asthma triggers in homes.

So often policy and legislation can seem abstract and irrelevant to our daily lives or those of our neighbors, friends, or family, but this is different: healthcare is a matter of life and death. So, if you haven’t yet, be sure to make your voice heard and encourage others to as well.

The Kenney Adminstration has put together some great information on why the Cassidy-Graham bill is so toxic and how it will impact Philadelphia that you can find here.

Senator Casey has been staunchly opposed to repealing the ACA, but you need to reach out to Senator Toomey to express your support for Obamacare/Affordable Care Act (ACA) and explain that the Cassidy-Graham bill is not an option. Call Senator Toomey at (202) 224-4254.