Tell your reps in Congress that cutting protections for those with pre-existing conditions is unacceptable

After cutting taxes for wealthy corporations and the rich, the Trump administration is now trying to cut the Affordable Care Act's protections. This time, they're trying (yet again) to rip away health care from over 130 million Americans with pre-existing conditions.

And get this -- they're using the TrumpTax to justify this heartless decision. Their ridiculous claim: because the TrumpTax repealed one key part of the Affordable Care Act, the rest of the law is now unconstitutional.

Use our one-click tool to tell your reps that saving health care for those with pre-existing conditions is more important than tax cuts for the rich!

When Republicans passed the TrumpTax, we knew that they would try to pay for it by cutting the vital services that so many Americans depend upon. We saw that with their proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and to the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).

We know they'll be going after Medicaid, Medicare, and Social Security next, but in the meantime, the latest victims of the TrumpTax are folks who have pre-existing conditions like cancer, asthma, and diabetes.

If you or someone you know is one of the 130 million Americans with a pre-existing condition, now is your moment to speak out!

Send an email to your representatives in Congress to tell them that cutting protections for those with pre-existing conditions is totally unacceptable.

Tell your reps that protecting health care for those with pre-existing conditions is more important than tax cuts for millionaires!

https://p2a.co/IpCmZ0J?p2asource=20180615care2email

- The Tax March Team

Do or die effort to stop #GOPtaxcam

In the dead of night last Friday, all but one Senate Republican voted to approve their version of the cruelest, most economically destructive tax bill in recent memory. Now the bill, which attacks the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in addition to raising taxes on millions of working people and families while giving tax cuts to corporations, and the super-rich (not to mention sacrificing our Arctic National Wildlife Refuge), heads back to the House for conference. 

That means we have another chance to fight back. If we can flip at least 11 of the House members who voted for the House version of the bill, we can stop this bill. Many reports indicate that call volumes still haven’t reached the high levels Congress received during the ACA fight; we simply have to flood our representatives with calls, emails, and visits so they understand the potential consequences of selling out most of their constituents for the benefit of their wealthiest donors.

• Dial 202-224-3121 to call your rep today and every day, urging him or her to vote NO on this tax bill, which would force women and families to pay for tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy.
• Are you represented by the House members listed below, or do you know someone who is? It’s especially urgent that these representatives get tons of calls urging them to vote NO on the tax bill.
  • Mike Coffman (CO); Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL); John Katko (NY); Michael Turner (OH), David Joynce (OH); Ryan Costello (PA); Patrick Meehan (PA); Brian Fitzpatrick (PA); Charlie Dent (PA); Will Hurd (TX); Barbara Comstock (VA); Jaime Herrera Buetler (WA); Dave Reichert (WA)

Time to take back our country

Our Senators have disregarded the will of the people. In this time of great income inequality, both houses have passed tax plans that give huge tax cuts to billionaires and big corporations at the expense of the rest of us.

These tax plans will increase the deficit by 1.4 trillion dollars which will lead to dismantling vital social safety nets such as medicaid, medicare and even social security. Remember the uproar when they tried to dismantle the Affordable Care Act? This bill has a sneaky provision that would destroy it. But it's not only the elderly who will suffer. Students would no longer be able to deduct the interest from their college loans. Tuition waivers for graduate students would be considered taxable income. This bill would also be devastating to our wildlife. Despite whole species going extinct everyday from lack of habitats, this bill would allow oil companies to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

This bill disregards the needs of the American people. It increases the financial divide by handing over billions of dollars to the richest people the planet has ever known. They will have even more expendable income to buy our politicians. They will end up privatizing our decaying infrastructure - including our depleted waterways. They will OWN US.

We can't take this lying down. We have got to do everything we can to stop this disastrous tax bill from destroying the country as we know it. Fortunately, there is still time while the bill is being worked on in the conference committee. You can reach your House members at the Whitehouse switchboard: (202) 224-3121. Ask them not to pass either version of the bill as they now stand, but to work with Democrats to construct a bill that addresses the needs of individuals and families.

This is just the first step. We need a government that represents the people. Time to get organized and stand up for America!

Do you have concerns about your healthcare? Share your story! These AZ Legislators are ready to listen...

Do you have concerns about the Affordable Care Act and repeal attempts; about the future of Medicare and Medicaid; or about access to care or the cost of drugs?

Whether you are a patient or a provider, we want to hear your medical and health insurance stories. The LD9 and LD10 Legislators are holding an open mic forum in which we listen, you talk, and we all learn.

This is a free educational community event for residents of Pima County. It’s about listening and learning from each other. Senators David Bradley and Steve Farley and Representatives Kirsten Engel, Randy Friese, and Pamela Powers Hannley have confirmed their attendance. (Rep. Todd Clodfelter was invited but has a scheduling conflict.)

In the news, we hear what politicians and big corporations think should be done with our country’s overly complicated and extremely expensive health care system. At this event, the people of Southern Arizona will have an opportunity to tell us their stories and help shape future policy.  So mark your calendars for October 29, 2017 for the 200 Stories: Tucson Healthcare Forum. 

-Rep. Pamela Powers Hannley, MPH
Arizona House, LD9 in Tucson 

200 Stories: Tucson Healthcare Forum

October 29, 1:30-3:30 p.m.

Unitarian Universalist Church of Tucson,

4831 E. 22nd St. Tucson, AZ

Please take a few minutes to register with EventBrite by clicking here to make sure there are enough seats.

Watch Facebook and other social media for updates.

Beyond calling our senators, what can we do to stop this cruel healthcare bill?

The Republicans want you to believe that their plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act is dead. They want to slip in below the radar and take one more run at repealing health care coverage for millions of Americans.

Here’s the reason they are moving now: Senate Republicans have until September 30th to repeal the Affordable Care Act with only 50 votes.

And here’s the scary fact: They just might have the votes to do it.

The Cassidy-Graham bill that the Republicans pulled out of the trash is their worst “health care” bill yet.

• It guts funding for Medicaid – so if you need a nursing home or your baby is born with complex medical needs, you’re on your own.


• It rolls back protections for people with pre-existing conditions – so if you have a heart attack or get a cancer diagnosis, too bad.


• And it completely eliminates help for families to buy health insurance – so if you can’t afford health insurance, good luck out there.

Make no mistake: This Cassidy-Graham “health care” bill is Trumpcare on steroids – and millions of Americans will lose their health care if the Republicans pass this piece of garbage in the next 11 days.

Remember everything you did to stop the Republicans from repealing the Affordable Care Act seven weeks ago? We need you to do it again.

1. Share your story again about why the Affordable Care Act or Medicaid matters to you or someone you love. Email it to your friends and family. Post it on Facebook or Twitter. Take a photo or record a video on your phone.


2. Our Senate Democrats are still united against this bill – but if you have family or friends who live in a state with a Republican senator, make sure they know what’s happening to health care this week. Call, text, email, message – check in and then spread the word.


3. Join a group. If you belong to an organization that has been fighting to save the Affordable Care Act, keep your eyes peeled. If you don’t belong to a group, find one. Organizations will be holding events, making calls, sharing content, and keeping people informed about what’s going on. Two voices are more than twice as powerful as one. Ten voices are more than ten times as powerful. And thousands – even millions – of voices working together can stop this ugly bill. Don’t delete all those emails.

URGENT: Health care under attack again

Like a zombie, Trumpcare is back. This time it's as a plan called "Graham-Cassidy"--named for Republicans who have bucked Trump in the past. So it's designed to look "moderate."

But we're not fooled. This version will completely eliminate Medicaid expansion, leaving 11 million of the most vulnerable people--including children--without insurance. It will gut protections for anyone with pre-existing conditions, send out-of-pocket costs soaring for people on the individual market, and "defund" Planned Parenthood. Those who keep their insurance "policy" aren't safe either--this bill allows the return of annual or lifetime caps on coverage and allows insurers to charge outrageous amounts for policies that don't cover basic needs, like maternity care and hospitalization. Over the course of the next decade, an estimated 32 million people will lose their insurance.¹ No wonder President Trump is so eager to sign it.²

Due to Senate rules, this bill must pass by September 30--so Republicans are trying to fast-track quickly, hoping we won't mobilize in time. We can't let that happen. According to Sen. Cassidy (R-LA), they are only one or two votes away.³ Tying up the phone lines with our calls of outrage can give Republicans pause--and Sens. Collins (R-ME) and Murkowski (R-AK) have expressed deep concern, so we have a chance to win them over and then only need one more "no" vote. This is an all hands on deck moment--can you make a phone call to Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake?

Here are the numbers to call:

• Senator John McCain
  • Phoenix, AZ: 602-952-2410
  • Prescott, AZ: 928-445-0833
  • Tucson, AZ: 520-670-6334
• Senator Jeff Flake
  • Phoenix, AZ: 602-840-1891
  • Tucson, AZ: 520-575-8633

Will you make an urgent call to Sens. McCain and Flake now?

Speak in your own words, but here are some points to guide you:

• My name is _______ and I'm from Tucson. I oppose the Graham-Cassidy bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The ACA is important to me because (if you have a personal story, share it here!).

• The Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion has provided health insurance to millions of the neediest people in the United States. If you vote for Graham-Cassidy, it will result in especially vulnerable populations--like seniors, people with disabilities, and families with children--not getting the care they need.⁴

• The Affordable Care Act protects guaranteed coverage for critical care such as comprehensive maternity care, domestic violence screenings, and prescription drug coverage. If you vote for Graham-Cassidy, which allows states to opt out of this required coverage, insurance companies looking to make a buck will stop offering policies covering these vital health care services, which tens of millions of women rely on.⁵

• The Affordable Care Act provides important consumer affordability protections, like a ban on lifetime or annual "caps" on coverage. If you vote for Graham-Cassidy, it will literally throw families into bankruptcy.

Make a call today to protect the Affordable Care Act.

-- the UltraViolet Action team

Sources:

1. Graham-Cassidy Proposal: Gigantic Block Grants and Huge Health Care Cuts, FamiliesUSA, September 2017

Cassidy-Graham: The last GOP health plan left standing, explained, Vox, September 13, 2017

Cassidy-Graham Would Deeply Cut and Drastically Redistribute Health Coverage Funding Among States, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, August 24, 2017

2. Conway: Trump would sign Graham-Cassidy ObamaCare repeal bill, The Hill, September 6, 2017

3. Tweet by Sarah Kliff, Twitter, September 15, 2017

4. Medicaid’s Role for Women, Kaiser Family Foundation, June 22, 2017

5. Summary of the Affordable Care Act, Kaiser Family Foundation, April 25, 2013

Preventive care benefits for women, Healthcare.gov, accessed July 18, 2017

The Affordable Care Act’s Birth Control Benefit Is Working for Women, National Women's Law Center, December 16, 2016

Healthcare? The GOP is back with another We Don't Care bill

The clock is running out on the GOP's attempts to overturn the Affordable Care Act, so of course they have another proposal in the queue to try to "save healthcare," Republican style.

Graham, Cassidy, Heller, and Johnson (sounds like a law firm, doesn't it?) have a grand new plan to shift control of healthcare to the states. Sounds great, right? After all, we've been told innumerable times that the states know best. And this plan promises a lot of the old Republican standards: Health Savings Accounts, rollbacks of employer mandates, and block grants.

As usual, this plan will hurt those who can least afford it: the working poor and the middle class will see their insurance coverage diminish, their premiums go up, and more money out of pocket for deductibles. Small businesses will also see less support for providing health coverage for their employees. And, if you're old or have a pre-existing condition, watch out: the bill doesn't remove the mandate to cover people with pre-existing conditions, but it does allow states to apply for waivers to the law that would allow insurers to charge exorbitant premiums to cover those patients. Also, it dismantles rules prohibiting insurance companies from selling worthless junk policies.

But, there are some who would benefit: medical device manufacturers will see a tax cut, large employers will no longer be required to provide coverage to their employees, and the states that refused to expand medicare coverage to spite President Obama will get a bonus for their loyalty to party, paid for by the states who tried to put their citizens ahead of politics.

Yep. This is exactly the kind of healthcare plan we can expect from today's Republican Party.  One of GOP's rallying calls is that this plan is the last chance to stop Bernie's Medicare for All act.

I personally believe that America should catch up with the rest of the civilized world and provide healthcare for all of us.  But even if you don't want your tax dollars to pay for other people's coverage, look at it this way - you will save money on your healthcare under Bernie's plan. The increase in taxes is MUCH less than the cost of coverage (not even factoring in the cost of the huge deductibles.)

With the GOP's plan block grants will diminish over time forcing states to charge more taxes if they want to keep or expand medicare. The states would have a choice on how they use that money, but only 20% is allowed for medicare. One problem with each state having separate healthcare plans is that we would lose our collective bargaining power so the cost of premiums would go up.

So if our healthcare ends up in the hands of the states, the big question is, "Will my state representatives take care of me and my family?"

Tucson & Southern Arizona - Our Lives on the Line event

July 29th, 10 AM - 12 PM
Rudy Garcia Park, 2 E Irvington Rd, Tucson, Arizona 85714

More than a dozen groups have joined forces to lead a national “day of action” against the Republican plan to repeal parts of the Affordable Care Act. This rally and press event in Arizona is one of many being held simultaneously in numerous other cities around the country that day.
“Our Lives On the Line, Arizona” event — including a flagship rally in Washington — will set the tone for several weeks of aggressive activism to persuade key lawmakers to back off their repeal efforts.

OFA's motto is Respect, Empower, Include, Organize. We lead with respect as a core value, and ask that all organizing work is done so with that value in mind. When participating in events like this one, you are committing to do so respectfully.

Join former army medic Perry O'Brian as he fights for our healthcare today!

former army medic speaks up against big Pharma 

In just a few hours, Senate Republicans are going to try do the bidding of Big Pharma corporations and strip away health care from 22 million people. For years, corrupt millionaires on Wall Street and in Congress have waged war on us and our families, and now they want to sentence thousands of us to death.

I was a medic in the U.S. Army. I served in Afghanistan. And here’s my message to these corrupt Republicans: I didn’t ask wounded soldiers how much money they had before treating them. They were hurt. And I had a moral duty to help them.

Republicans don’t agree. When they look at our families, our sick children, and our retired seniors, they don’t see humans. They see profits.

We need to fight as hard as we can to protect ourselves, our families, our elders, and our communities. Add your name and be a part of our joint-action to send a strong message that we won’t compromise on health care.

I joined the army as a medic because I wanted to heal my comrades. I can’t sit idly as corrupt Republicans help Wall Street and Big Pharma prey on working Americans in their moment of need.

That’s why we’re so proud and honored to team up with Color of Change, Daily Kos, and the AFL-CIO, Democracy for America, and thousands of other activists to fight for the health care rights of all Americans.

Join our mass movement and we’ll deliver a strong, undeniable message to the U.S. Senate and House that we won’t back down on health care rights.

I hope you’ll join us today, and stand alongside the 22 million Americans who are at risk.

Thank you,

Perry O'Brien
U.S. Army veteran
Common Defense

Urge family & friends to contact their Senators in these pivotal states....

Do you have friends or family who live in Alaska, Maine, Nevada, Ohio, or West Virginia?

The Senate is likely to vote TODAY on whether to move forward with an attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA)—and Senators in these states are on the fence. Any of these Senators could very well be the deciding vote to protect vital health care. We need all hands on deck to flood the phone lines NOW.

Here’s how you can help. Forward this message (cut and paste) to your friends and family who live in the target states and ask them to call their Senators now. A sample script is below.

Tell Your Senators: Reject ACA Repeal

• Step 1: Call your senator at the number listed below:
  • Alaska: Senator Lisa Murkowski — (202) 224-6665
  • Maine: Senator Susan Collins — (202) 224-2523
  • Nevada: Senator Dean Heller — (202) 224-6244
  • Ohio: Senator Rob Portman — (202) 224-3353
  • West Virginia: Senator Shelley Capito — (202) 224-6472
  • 
    
• Step 2: Once you are connected, say:
  • “As your constituent, I urge you to reject ACA repeal. No one should lose health coverage, and repealing the Affordable Care Act threatens the health care of millions of people including women, elderly people, children, and people with disabilities. Don’t put politics above people’s health and lives. [If you have a personal story to share, adding why the ACA has been important to you is an especially powerful message.]”
  • 
    
• Step 3: Share our graphic on Facebook and encourage your friends to call their Senators too.

It’s clear that this is not about health care but about scoring a political win for the Trump administration. Senate Republican leadership has tried pushing through many different iterations of a repeal bill, from the narrowly passed House bill to a straight up repeal now, replace later proposal – all of them threatening the health care of millions of people. And right now, most of the Senate doesn’t even know which bill they’ll be voting on! But the bottom line is there is no version of ACA repeal that is good for women and their families.

Senators are being bullied by Senate Republican leadership and President Trump into taking life-saving care away from the residents in their states, and they need to hear from everyone now and every day – every call moves us closer to truly defeating this bill. Please help spread the word in this critical moment.

Thank you for fighting with us.

- Gretchen Borchelt
National Women's Law Center

Write a letter to the editor about Trumpcare...

Yesterday, major news outlets reported that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is expected to unveil a new draft of Trumpcare later this week in a last-ditch effort to win the votes he needs. Reports say a vote could be next week and on President Trump's desk by the end of next week.

Trumpcare is in trouble thanks to grassroots outrage, but it's NOT over yet. We can't forget that House Republicans twice called a vote and twice canceled it before quietly negotiating, as Sen. McConnell is doing now, and winning in the end. We can't let the same thing happen twice.

Sen. McConnell's new version of this bill will no doubt include concessions and offers of money to moderate Republicans for their states--trying to literally buy their votes. It's our job to make sure that senators aren't swayed to vote for any version of this corporate tax cut disguised as a health care bill. Senators pay attention to powerful letters to the editor in local and national newspapers, especially if they are from constituents. Your letter could be the last thing an undecided senator reads in the morning's news before going to cast a vote.

Can you write a letter to the editor making clear why Trumpcare attacks women and our families?

Write your own, or you can use the pre-written letter. Newspapers are most likely to print letters that are personal and local. Speak from your heart, but here are some points to guide you:

My name is _______ and I'm from _______. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is important to me because (if you have a personal story, share it here!)

According to the Congressional Budget Office, the Senate's Trumpcare bill will kick 22 million people--15 million by next year--off health insurance. Senators Flake and McCain must vote NO.
Trumpcare will decimate Medicaid for nearly 40 million women and 50% of newborns. And it bars Medicaid enrollees from accessing any kind of care at Planned Parenthood health centers, which serve 2.4 million patients annually.

Trumpcare eliminates guaranteed coverage for life-saving cervical and breast cancer screenings, abolishes comprehensive maternity care and domestic violence screenings, defunds Planned Parenthood, and makes it harder for women to access birth control and emergency contraception.
Trumpcare phases out health care funding for poor people, while giving over half a trillion dollars in tax cuts to corporations and the wealthy.

Please, take a moment to write a short letter to save the Affordable Care Act.

- the UltraViolet team

Sources:

1. GOP struggles to revamp ailing Obamacare repeal bill, Politico, July 10, 2017

2. CBO Analysis Endangers GOP Health-Care Bill, Atlantic, June 26, 2016

3. How the G.O.P. Health Bill Would Change Medicaid, New York Times, June 22, 2017

Trumpcare Would Be a Disaster for Planned Parenthood, and Therefore Poor Women, Rolling Stone, March 14, 2017

4. House Passes AHCA: How It Happened, What It Would Do, And Its Uncertain Senate Future, Health Affairs, May 4, 2017

5. CHART: Who Wins, Who Loses With Senate Health Care Bill, NPR, June 22, 2017

Trump's plan allows employers to eliminate birth control from insurance plans

Ready for another bundle of joy?

Today, a Trump Administration plan leaked that will let America's employers make birth control unaffordable for employees by eliminating it from insurance plans. 1 From Wal-Mart to your small, local restaurant, a woman's birth control will become her boss' business. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act and Obama Administration actions, 55 million women accessed birth control without out-of-pocket costs like co-pays--including $1.4 billion on the pill alone in 2013.2

Now, hundreds of thousands of women could lose access to no-cost birth control if Trump's license to discriminate becomes final. But America's employers can step in and become part of the resistance by guaranteeing they will not end birth control coverage. We know that consumer power can successfully pressure corporations to do the right thing. If tens of thousands push three of America's largest employers with a strong base of women employees and customers, we can force them to maintain birth control coverage for millions of working women--and other employers will be forced to follow suit to stay competitive.

Can you sign the petition? Tell Target, Disney, Merck, and other major corporations: "Resist Trump's attacks on women. Pledge to maintain insurance coverage of birth control for your employees."

Sign the petition

It's not just employers that are given a license to discriminate. Colleges, universities, and even insurance companies can cite religious grounds as a reason to control a woman's reproductive health and economic security. Before the Affordable Care Act, many women paid over $1,000 a year for birth control they rely on. So for them, this is no small change--like a $100 per month rent increase or a $1,000 bill to fix a car. More than 1 in 3 women have stated they have struggled to afford birth control at some point in their lives.3

Under Trump's rule, the reason a woman uses birth control is irrelevant--whether for family planning or menstrual cramps, treating endometriosis or pelvic inflammatory disease. Ninety-nine percent of women will use birth control at some point in their lives, 58 percent of them for a reason other than preventing pregnancy.4 President Trump wants to take away the respect women deserve to control their own economic future. America's employers need to make a choice: do they stand with President Trump and his attacks on women, or their own employees and customers?

Sign the petition to tell Target, Disney, Merck, and other major corporations: "Resist Trump's attacks on women. Pledge to maintain insurance coverage of birth control for your employees."

-- the UltraViolet team

Sources:

1. Trump Administration Moves To Roll Back Birth Control Coverage, The Huffington Post, May 31, 2017

2. Private Insurance Coverage of Contraception, Kaiser Family Foundation, December 7, 2016

3. Taking Control: The Ongoing Fight to Preserve the Birth Control Benefit in the Affordable Care Act, Planned Parenthood, 2013

4. Beyond Birth Control: The Overlooked Benefits of Oral Contraceptive Pills, Guttmacher Institute, November, 2011

The senate is going to vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act!

I just got a call from Moveon.org. They said that the senate was voting on repealing the Affordable Care Act and asked me if I wanted to transferred to Sen. Jeff Flake's office. I figured I wouldn't get though, but what the hey! I actually spoke to a person! I told my senator to vote against any bill that takes healthcare away from Americans, especially with pre-existing conditions. We need more healthcare, not less. We need Universal Healthcare. We should use our collective bargaining to get inexpensive healthcare for all Americans.

Do our calls help? Why would organizations like Moveon.org bother to call up people to connect them with their senators if it didn't? Activist organizations go to battle with the Washington establishment - armed with our petitions.

The House of Representatives passed Trumpcare, but our fight has just begun. Now it goes to the Senate.

The House voted 217-213 to repeal the Affordable Care Act -- Obamacare -- and pass a new bill, the American Health Care Act.

This was a tough loss today.  But, it’s not over by a long shot.

While the U.S. House of Representatives voted to change the current health law in ways that may be extremely harmful to cancer patients and survivors, the bill they passed still must get voted on in the U.S. Senate.

Four months ago, many people considered the House vote to be a slam dunk. They told us there was no point in waging a campaign on a House bill because it supposedly already had the votes to pass before it was even introduced. We changed that. We called, emailed, Tweeted, turned out to town halls, went to rallies, and wrote letters to the editor.

What's next?

We move on to the Senate. And, though we are disappointed, we can't give up the fight, especially because early indications show strong bipartisan objections among Senators to the House-passed bill.

Trumpcare isn't a healthcare plan, it's a massive tax giveaway to the super-rich financed by the livelihoods and lives of the sick, poor, and the people they love. And it's massively unpopular -- a recent Quinnipiac poll found that only 17% of Americans actually approve of the GOP’s Anti-Health Care Act because  24 million people will lose their health insurance.

Read up on the American Health Care Act.

Then Contact your Senators!

The Republican Congress is taking another desperate shot at making health care unaffordable. Contact Rep. McSally now.

The Republican Congress is taking yet another desperate shot at making health care unaffordable -- and we need your help to stop them.

Over the weekend, POLITICO reported that "this week might be the last, best chance to get (Trumpcare) done in the House." But Republican leadership is still scrambling to secure the votes to pass their repeal of the Affordable Care Act as both big business Republicans and Tea Party radicals threaten to defect.

It's not surprising that Congress is struggling to pass this disaster of a bill. Trumpcare isn't a healthcare plan, it's a massive tax giveaway to the super-rich financed by the livelihoods and lives of the sick, poor, and the people they love. And it's massively unpopular -- a recent Quinnipiac poll found that only 17% of Americans actually approve of this plan.

But Trumpcare isn't dead yet. VP Mike Pence has been putting serious pressure on congressional leadership to back the bill, and Trumpcare's fate could come down to the votes of just a handful of Republican legislators. Because your Representative is a Republican, your call is more important than ever before. You have the power to stop this once again.

Can you take 5 minutes right now to call Representative Martha McSally and tell her to stand up for your community by voting NO on Trump's awful attack on our health care?

Here is all of her contact information....

E-mail her: https://mcsally.house.gov/contact

Tucson Office

4400 E. Broadway Blvd

Suite 510

Tucson, AZ 85711

Phone: (520) 881-3588
Fax: (520) 322-9490

Sierra Vista Office

77 Calle Portal

Suite B-160

Sierra Vista, AZ 85635

Phone: (520) 459-3115

Washington, DC Office

510 Cannon House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515

Phone: (202) 225-2542
Fax: (202) 225-0378

Good news! Our activism pays off as Trump's budget is rejected

Some good news! Our activism has paid off! In the spending agreement that was reached last night to keep the government funded until the end of September:

*Trump's wall did not get funded. 1) The measure that did get passed put a strict limit on the amount of money that can be used for border security - making it almost impossible for Trump to pay for starting his wall. 2) No funding can be cut for "sanctuary cities." 3) No money for a deportation force in ICE.

*Trump wanted to cut the National Institutes of Health by 1/3. But it got a 2 billion dollar boost!

*Trump wanted cuts in all scientific inquiry.. But there were nearly NO cuts in scientific budgets.

*Instead of the 1/3 cut in the EPA, it was cut by just 1% and there were no staff cuts.

*No cuts in Planned Parenthood!

*Trump got 1/2 of what he wanted for the military.

*They did not fund the justice department in stopping medical marijuana in states where it was legalized.

*The subsidies built into the affordable care act will continue.

The United States and the American people came out on top! This gives me hope in our checks and balances and that our activism is working!

But our activism continues to be important. This spending agreement lasts until September.  Trump will continue to enact executive orders and his cabinet members will continue to wreak havoc in their departments. We must stay diligent! 

Last night, Trump issued an ultimatum to House Republicans: pass the bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act today

Last night, Trump issued an ultimatum to House Republicans: pass the bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act, or he will move on and leave Obamacare in place. This is HUGE: It means we have an opportunity to save the ACA and its crucial benefits, but only if we take action right now, before the House votes on the bill today.

Dial this number right now to be connected to one of your representatives. Tell them to vote NO on the Republican's plan to take away our care:

Call you Representative NOW: 1-866-665-4470

I just e-mailed my representative again...

Dear Representative McSally,

I appreciate your efforts to improve AHCA but your suggestions are really just band-aids that don’t help much. The Medicaid “delay” just puts the most pain after the next Presidential election, CPI-MED+1 just increases the state block grants by 1%, and how much healthcare can a person in the age range where they are most likely to need health insurance buy with $4000 in tax credits? Money they don’t get back until the middle of the following year.

We can do better than this. Look at Senator Sander's universal healthcare plan. With our collective bargaining power, we could all have healthcare and all pay less like they do in the other modern nations. It would require raising our taxes, but it would cost less individual healthcare plans (not to mention the added expense of the deducible.) Be a hero to your constituents and the whole country. Educate the other representatives and your constituents. You can make a difference in all of our lives!

Thanks for keeping up the good fight,
Jana Segal

https://mcsally.house.gov/contact

Contacting your representative: a matter of life and death

Many people have been forced to make this choice.

A bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act is being voted on tomorrow, Thursday, March 23rd. "Trumpcare," the proposed replacement will make healthcare unaffordable for the elderly and the poor and much more expensive for all of us.  Please, contact your representative NOW and urge them not to repeal the Affordable Care Act until they have something that will serve all of their constituents.

I just e-mailed Martha McSally:

Dear Representative Martha McSally ,

Since Trump was elected, more people are becoming active in the political process. Not only am I following the bills that affect me, I am spreading the word on what is going on in congress. Believe me, I'm not the only one. This has become a matter of life or death - especially for those of us who can't afford healthcare. I ride the city bus, so I meet people who have become homeless because they couldn't afford their medical bills. Everyday people are dying because they can't afford proper medical care. You shouldn't have to decide between paying your rent and taking your child to the doctor.

If you vote for Trumpcare you will be leaving 24 million people without healthcare. In this "right to work" state many of us are barely getting by as it is. We simply can't afford a raise in our insurance rates.

Right now, I am deeply saddened that you could consider cutting taxes on rich CEOs - while leaving the rest of us to suffer or die. Everyday I see more and more people paying attention to what our representatives are doing. Please, please, Representative McSally, do the right thing. Protect your constituents before things get worse for all of us.

Contact Representative McSally here. 

Let Rep. McSally know how you feel about repealing the Affordable Care Act

TOMORROW, Rep. Martha McSally will be available to hear constituents' opinions on the repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This is the first opportunity since Republican Congressional leaders and President Trump took office. Republican plans to repeal the Affordable Care Act are already crumbling under grassroots pressure--and this could be the opportunity we need to stop them for good. We know that turning out in the streets and calling our representatives is making a difference--and it's really getting under President Trump's skin.

Now we have our best chance yet to show Rep. Martha McSally how big our pro-woman and pro-healthcare movement really is. We need Rep. Martha McSally to hear directly from all of us that we won't allow Congress to repeal the ACA and take away health insurance from nearly 30 million, birth control from 55 million, and coverage of preventive care from millions more.1

Here are the details of the event:

WHERE: The Good Shepherd United Church of Christ, 17750 S. La Cañada Dr. in Sahuarita*

WHEN: Thursday, February 23, 4 PM

WHAT: Your member of Congress is holding a town hall meeting to hear constituents' opinions about repeal of the Affordable Care Act.

When you go, please be sure to take the opportunity to speak. Use your own words, but here are some points to guide you:

The Affordable Care Act matters to me because [share a personal story or reasons why.]

Rep. Martha McSally, what would you say to the young adults who are able to stay on their parent's health insurance up to age 26 thanks to the Affordable Care Act? Or to the many residents of Arizona who have a pre-existing condition which could make them un-insurable without the ACA?

Just under 25 million Americans depend on the Affordable Care Act for insurance, and another five million for Medicaid coverage. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, we now have the lowest uninsured rate in American history.2

27 million women have benefited from having all FDA-approved contraceptive methods without a co-pay, including emergency contraception. Nearly three in five women have stated they have struggled to afford birth control at some point, including 57% of young Latinas and 61% of young Black women.3

Rep. Martha McSally needs to hear from you.

Questions may be sent to Dan Shearer at the GV News and selected questions will be posed to McSally. E-mail : dshearer@gvnews.com

P.S. Check out our new Tumblr for more personal stories of individuals positively impacted by the Affordable Care Act.

Sources:
1. Obamacare Repeal Would Take Insurance From 30 Million People, NBC News, December 11, 2016
In the Middle of the Night, the Senate Voted Against Keeping Health-Care Coverage for Contraceptives, New York Magazine, January 12, 2017
2. Women and the Health Care Law in the United States, National Women's Law Center, May 16, 2013
3. Survey: Nearly Three in Four Voters in America Support Fully Covering Prescription Birth Control, Planned Parenthood, May 14, 2014

*NOTE: CHANGE OF VENUE.  MAY BE SOLD OUT.  

http://tucson.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/mcsally-to-hold-town-hall-in-sahuarita/article_036fcc76-f6bb-11e6-bdfa-8b6fdfb4617c.html