Washington, DC – On July 28, 2017 at 1:40 am, a bipartisan majority in the United States Senate gave a thumbs down to President Trump’s top legislative priority: repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Sunday marks the two year anniversary of this fateful vote, and today, health care is still the number one issue on voters’ minds. Last year, the Trump administration backed a lawsuit that goes even further than the Senate repeal bill, and would upend the entire health care system, ripping coverage from 20 million Americans, taking away protections for 130 million Americans with a pre-existing condition and raising costs across the board.
Watch Protect Our Care’s video on the anniversary here
To mark the two year anniversary of Republicans’ failed health care repeal effort, Protect Our Care chair Leslie Dach issued the following statement:
“The stinging defeat of his health care repeal bill in the Senate may be one of the most irritating moments of Donald Trump’s presidency, but it didn’t stop him and his Republican allies from doubling down on his health care sabotage agenda. Two years after the ‘thumbs down’ vote on the Senate floor, Trump remains hell bent on repeal, going to court and telling his appointees to do what he could not do in Congress: destroy America’s health care. And Republicans in the House and the Senate are his willing allies, refusing to condemn the Texas lawsuit and voting on party lines against any and all meaningful efforts to reduce costs and improve care.”
In light of this anniversary, and the GOP’s ongoing war on health care, Protect Our Care’s state teams are targeting House and Senate Republicans across the country with events, protests, tweet storms, email campaigns and other earned media and grassroots tactics this week for their ongoing support of repealing American health care.
BACKGROUND:
If the Trump-Republican lawsuit to destroy health care is successful:
- GONE: Protections for 130 million Americans with pre-existing conditions. The uninsured rate will increase by 65 percent.
- GONE: Medicaid expansion, which covers 17 million people.
- GONE: Nearly 12 million seniors will have to pay more for prescription drugs because the Medicare ‘donut hole’ will be reopened.
- GONE: 2.3 million adult children will no longer be able to stay on their parents’ insurance.
- GONE: Insurance companies will be able to charge women 50 percent more than men.
- GONE: Financial assistance that helps 9 million people purchase health care in the marketplace.
- GONE: Key support for rural hospitals. As Americans lose coverage, already struggling hospitals will be hit even harder as their costs increase.
- GONE: Ban on insurance companies having lifetime caps on coverage.
- GONE: Requirements that insurance companies cover prescription drugs and maternity care.