Healthcare is Moving Again! 3 Actions To Take Now

Updated October 23, 2017
Link to recent healthcare update.

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Healthcare is Moving Again!
3 Actions To Take Now:

We believe our nation’s leaders have a moral obligation to work in a bipartisan and transparent manner to develop a national healthcare system that is affordable, accessible to everyone, and promotes quality. We have a new opportunity to urge our Senators to vote FOR a bipartisan healthcare bill.

1 – Ask your Senators to support the Senators’ Alexander-Murray bipartisan legislation on healthcare;

2 – Ask your friends and family members to contact their Senators now. Send them the link to this page – http://bit.ly/TakeActionHealthcare;  

3 – Spread the word – Post messages to social media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.) and link to this page – http://bit.ly/TakeActionHealthcare.

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What’s Happening

Recently, President Trump signed an Executive Order that continues to undermine the Affordable Care Act and would throw health insurance markets into chaos.

Senators Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Patty Murray (D-WA) have been working together to move in a better direction. They released a good-faith bill “The Bipartisan Health Care Stabilization Act 2017” that would counter many of the President’s attacks on the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Major provisions of the legislation would:

  • shore up and stabilize the insurance markets by ensuring funding of the Cost-Sharing Reduction (CSR) payments through 2019.

  • provide funding for ACA enrollment advertising and outreach directed at states through 2019;

  • provide more flexibility to states by streamlining the waiver process.

For more details about the legislation and political context, read this article by VOX about the Alexander-Murray deal.

It’s possible that the bill would be wrapped into a December deal to fund the government and lift the debt ceiling since standalone action on health care seems difficult and including it in a “must-pass vehicle could force the issue.”

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Contact your Senators

Please call your Senators and ask them to support this crucial good-faith bipartisan legislation to ensure that millions of Americans can still have access to affordable and quality healthcare.

Here’s a list of cosponsors (as of October 19):

Republican Senators: Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), John McCain (R-Ariz.), Bill Cassidy (R-La.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), Johnny Isakson (R-Georgia), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), and Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), and

Democratic Senators: Angus King (I-Maine), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.), Tom Carper (D-Del.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), and Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.).

 

Suggested message by phone or email:

(If your Senator is already a co-sponsor, thank them for supporting this important bipartisan effort.)

Hi, my name is [ your name ] I’m a constituent from [ city, state ].Please tell Senator [name] to support the bipartisan legislation by Senators Lamar Alexander and Patty Murray to stabilize the insurance markets. [optional: As a Unitarian Universalist/or person of faith I believe that healthcare is a moral issue]. This legislation is a step in the right direction. I support this legislation because it will:

  • ensure Cost-Sharing Reduction payments to insurers for the next two years, which will keep the health insurance markets more stable and premiums lower;
  • improves the Affordable Care Act by restoring outreach and enrollment funding; and
  • gives states more flexibility.

This bipartisan legislation is more important now than ever before because of the President’s recent executive orders on healthcare. What is the Senator’s position on the legislation?Thank you.

Tweet your senators AND use the hashtags #savemyhealthcare, #healthcare, #ProtectOurCare, #KeepAmericaCovered, and/or #CoverageMatters.

Virginia:

Sen. Mark Warner (202) 224-2023

Sen. Tim Kaine (202) 224-4024

Maryland:

Sen. Ben Cardin (202) 224-4524

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (202) 224-4654

U.S. Capitol Switchboard: (202) 224-3121 or use our partner, NETWORK’s, toll free hotline to the Senate, which they provide for a previous action (ignore the message) 1-888-738-3058

To find Congressional e-mail addresses or other information, visit these Congressional websites:

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Our UU Spiritual Grounding

UUs are committed to promote policies that address the inequities in our economic mainstream and assure that all individuals have access to affordable, high-quality health care.

Based on our Religious Principles, we:

  • believe in a national health care system that provides quality care, accessible and affordable to all;

  • oppose attempts to reduce the access or quality of Medicaid given its significant role as the primary health care option for our country’s most vulnerable populations;

  • oppose attempts to jeopardize the healthcare infrastructure now in place under ACA;

  • urge protection of mandatory essential benefits. A specific concern is women’s reproductive health coverage and access to healthcare as provided for in the ACA;

  • insist on a democratic process that is open and transparent when legislating healthcare.

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Background, Resources and Relevant News Media Coverage Links

Video: “Senator Patty Murray announces the bipartisan deal to protect families from rising health care costs.” October 17, 2017

VOX about the Alexander-Murray deal. “The new bipartisan deal to stabilize Obamacare, explained. The plan’s biggest barrier? President Trump.” Updated by Dylan Scott (@dylanlscottdylan.scott@vox.com) October 18, 2017

New York Times, “McConnell Signals Willingness to Hold Vote on Health Deal if Trump Approves,” By Nicholas Fandos October 22, 2017

Senators’ Alexander-Murray “The Bipartisan Health Care Stabilization Act of 2017” bill section-by-section summary.

If you have any questions, contact us at advocacy@uusj.org and in the subject line put “Healthcare.” Or call Elizabeth at (202) 600-9132.

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