HEALTH CARE ADVOCATES CALL ON REPUBLICAN CONGRESS MEMBERS TO REJECT GRAHAM CASSIDY HEALTH CARE REPEAL BILL
The Graham-Cassidy Bill Would Disproportionately Attack Californians’ Health Care; Bill Faces a September 30 Deadline
SACRAMENTO, CA— Today, advocates from the California-based Courage Campaign sounded the alarm over yet another devastating Republican healthcare proposal — the Cassidy Graham bill, introduced today — that would cause even further devastation for Californians’ health than the previous Trumpcare proposals.
Activists warn that with a September 30th procedural deadline for all budget-related bills in Congress, Republican leaders could try to jam the bill through with little public debate.
The Graham Cassidy bill would force an estimated $35 billion per year in cuts to California’s health system and budget – nearly twice the devastating impact of the Republican ACA repeal proposals defeated earlier this year. Courage Campaign is calling on California’s Republican Congress members to commit to voting against a bill so squarely aimed at their home state’s healthcare. While all 14 members of Congress supported previous, failed attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and slash Medi-Cal funding, Courage Campaign says the direct and excruciating impact of this bill on California leaves the state’s Republican Congressional delegation no choice but to denounce it.
“The Graham-Cassidy bill poses the most substantial threat to health care our state has ever seen. We are demanding that California GOP representatives immediately and clearly denounce this calculated attempt to harm vulnerable Californians and destabilize our entire healthcare system,” said Eddie Kurtz, Executive Director of Courage Campaign.
The Graham-Cassidy proposal also includes language that explicitly attacks larger states that embraced the ACA and expanded coverage, such as California, a political calculation designed to garner Congressional votes from those that did not.
The Graham Cassidy bill would mean the following for California:
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Eliminate all federal funding for the Affordable Care Act, making healthcare unaffordable for 2.3 million Californians who buy individual coverage
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Directly threaten coverage for the 14.1 million Californians who get coverage through Medi-Cal
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Slash Medi-Cal funding by $114.6 billion between 2017 and 2020
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Put 100% of the financial responsibility for increasing healthcare costs and public health emergencies on the state budget.
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To pay for cuts of this magnitude, California would have to reduce its Medi-Cal enrollment by ⅓, eliminate benefits such as In-Home Supportive Services, or reduce already inadequate provider rates.
After succeeding in defeating previous Trumpcare proposals with a massive statewide mobilization that included more than 64 events statewide, the Fight 4 Our Health Coalition is gearing up again to demand accountability on health care from California’s members of Congress. Health care advocates, seniors, people with disabilities, health care workers and others are among those reaching voters by mail, at their doors, and in their communities to educate Californians about the devastating impact of these proposals and urge them to demand a “No” vote from their Congress members.
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