"Welcome" Senator Flake home from Washington with a demonstration outside his Tucson office this Thursday

Two weeks ago, Senator Jeff Flake literally voted to let his constituents die by taking away their health care. Right now, while he's home for August recess, it's time to hold him accountable.

"Welcome" Senator Flake home from Washington with a demonstration outside his Tucson office this Thursday, August 10, at 12 p.m.

While he is home from Washington, Senator Flake, the public, and the media will be paying close attention to the grassroots response. That's why it's crucial he sees that his constituents haven't forgotten about his horrible vote.

So far, the unprecedented amount of activism both in Arizona and around the country have been successful in staving off the fiercest attacks on our health care system by Republicans in Congress. But we know they aren't finished. The president has already admitted that his and the Republicans' next plan is to try to sabotage health care for millions of citizens.1 If we want to continue to hold the line and protect health care for women and families, it's clear that members of Congress can't be let off the hook--especially in their home states, and especially over the recess.

Senator Jeff Flake's vote to take away our health care is unforgivable--join UltraViolet members this Thursday, August 10, to show him how angry you are.

- UltraViolet


1. Trump admits that sabotage is real Republican health care plan, USA Today, August 2, 2017

Sign up for a Day of Action event in your area on Saturday.

This Saturday, July 15th, Democrats are doing something big: a national Resistance Summer Day of Action.

Democrats are hitting the pavement and going door-to-door in our communities, talking to our neighbors about the issues that matter in Arizona -- whether it's stopping the Republican health care repeal, fighting back against Betsy DeVos' attacks on public education, or supporting Democratic candidates who will take on the GOP.

Can you join the movement? Sign up for a Day of Action event in your area on Saturday.

Here are the details:

Say No to Devos Vouchers in AZ
When: Saturday, July 15ᵗʰ at 9:00 am MST
Where: Beyond Bread
6260 E Speedway
Tucson, AZ 85712

Senate Republicans are back in Washington and getting back to work on health care repeal. If Trump and his Republican cronies in Congress win, millions of people will lose their health care and even more will see the costs of their care skyrocket.

And then it will be full speed ahead on the rest of the GOP's agenda in Washington and statehouses around the country -- so what we do this weekend couldn't be more important.

It's up to us to stop them. So make this commitment today -- sign up for a Day of Action event in your area on Saturday:

RSVP

- Tom Perez, Chair Democratic National Committee

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

Let's flood the phone lines of key senators to stop their "mean" healthcare bill

Right now, Senate Republicans are trying to sway their conservative members into passing Trumpcare with a provision to allow insurers to sell junk plans that don't even cover major expenses like childbirth and surgery. Reports say this deal could garner enough votes to pass repeal.¹

The lives of 22 million people are at risk, and premiums under Trumpcare will rise an average of 20 percent by next year. Yet a poll this week showed 40% don't actually know either fact!² The number of people who understand the bill could mean the difference between saving and dismantling affordable health care for literally millions.

To stop this disaster of a bill, we need to make sure everyone knows just how bad Trumpcare is, so they'll be inspired to join us and flood the phone lines of key senators. That's why we made this graphic--can you take a moment to share it?

Sources:

1. Senate health care plan: Recess isn't helping McConnell's hunt for 50 votes, CNN International, July 6, 2017

McConnell is trying to revise the Senate health-care bill by Friday, The Washington Post, June 28, 2017

2. The GOP healthcare plan just got more brutal poll results, Business Insider, July 5, 2017

Reaching Flake

I got a message from a facebook friend announcing that Flake's mail box is full. Argh! Why doesn't he empty it!  I know it can be like hitting a brick wall. But we have got to do our best to get through to him. This is just too important to give up without a good fight. 22 million Americans will be thrown off of their healthcare and the rest of us will pay more and get less coverage. Especially the elderly and women! Low income seniors will have to pay 5 times what a younger American pays. (Right now it is topped at 3 times.) To make matters worse, they are cutting medicaid that helps pay for nursing homes and home healthcare! They are cutting services for women such as maternity care coverage and birth control. This bill is just cruel! We can't let them sneak it by under the radar!

This is what I told that facebook friend:  Yes, I have left messages with his assistants. And there have been times that his Washington mail box is full. Then I call his local offices (I'll leave the numbers below.) There are many ways to contact him - through his website, fax, and better yet snail mail. Also, you might go in and speak to him in person and tell him how this bill affects your personally.

With the conservative press making us out to be irate and violent, it's important to be polite and civil when speaking with our representatives. I believe Senator Flake will be more receptive if we express understanding on the challenges he faces - rather than attacking him. This "them against us" attitude is getting us nowhere.

Keep up the good fight! At least we can say we did everything we could!

Washington, D.C. Office
Senate Russell Office Building 413
Washington, D.C. 20510
P: 202-224-4521
F: 202-228-0515

Phoenix Office
2200 East Camelback Road
Suite 120
Phoenix, AZ 85016
P: 602-840-1891
F: 602-840-4092

Tucson Office
6840 North Oracle Road
Suite 150
Tucson, AZ 85704
P: 520-575-8633
F: 520-797-3232

For those of  you more technically savvy than me, try Resistbot. 

You text to it, and it even does voice recognition. It automatically faxes the letter it generates to our Representatives. It takes less than 1 minute to generate letters for all three representatives, and then it gets faxed.

More information on the Republican healthcare bill. 

What if it comes down to Senator Flake's vote?

Because of the work by activists around the country, Senate leadership was forced to postpone the health care vote until after the 4th of July recess.¹ 

But we can't rest--right now is literally the most critical time in this fight so far. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is working around the clock to convince senators who are on the fence and offering concessions to allay their concerns. Some senators have said those negotiations are close to winning them over. If we don't speak out now, Trumpcare could be on the president's desk waiting for his signature right after the congressional recess.

Thanks to grassroots pressure--massive protests, rowdy town halls, phone calls flooding their switchboards, and even constituents occupying their offices--Republicans have had to slow down.

But here's the thing--if we don't keep showing up, Republicans may think they can pass this horrible bill under the radar.

This bill is rotten to its core. It would deeply cut Medicaid, make insurance less affordable for everyone, defund Planned Parenthood, and make it harder for people with pre-existing conditions to get the coverage they need. According to the Congressional Budget Office, Trumpcare would mean 22 million more uninsured people by 2020.² In a word--it’s heartless.

Speak out now! 

- the UltraViolet team

Sources: 

1. Vote Delayed as G.O.P. Struggles to Marshal Support for Health Care Bill, New York Times, June 27, 2017

2. H.R. 1628, Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017, Congressional Budget Office, June 26, 2017

What if it comes down to Flake's vote? 

UPDATE on heath care

Update on health care -- the biggest policy story heading into next week’s congressional recess…

Mitch McConnell is scrambling to adjust the disastrous Senate version of Trumpcare and pick up more support, after the CBO scoring of the bill predicted 22 million Americans would lose their healthcare under the bill. Polls show that, at best, fewer than 20% of Americans support the Republicans’ efforts to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act, but it remains a high priority for the most committed members of their far-right base and, more importantly, for the Koch brothers and their other ultrawealthy donors who would reap a MASSIVE tax cut from the bill.

That’s all stuff you might already know… but in just the last couple of days, as more analysis of the legislation has continued to come out, we can see just how sneaky and insidious McConnell’s bill is … no wonder he thought developing the bill in extreme secrecy and ramming it through with reckless disregard for debate and process as perhaps his only chance of getting it passed.

We knew that the bill “back-loaded” many of the cuts, so that many wouldn’t take effect until 2021 and others not until later than that. But a new report yesterday by the CBO points out that the cuts to Medicaid would be even deeper and more devastating down the road due to future funding being tied to the consumer price index, which has a lower growth rate than inflation of medical costs. So not only are there deep cuts, but the money that still would be provided for low-income, disabled, and some elderly Americans would shrink in real terms and not go far enough to cover their care.

- Ben Betz, People for the American Way

5 Republican Senators have concerns about Trumpcare. Let's encourage them to do the right thing.

By now we've all heard that the Senate healthcare bill (that was drafted in secret) is even meaner than the House bill. If we want to make sure that all Americans have the best, most cost efficient healthcare, it is vital that we keep abreast of what is going on regarding this bill. Unfortunately, not all of us have time (or the legal understanding) to read all 142 pages. Thankfully, Senator Chris Murphy points out some important points. You can follow along on the proposed bill here. 

Pg. 39 – section on cuts to Medicaid starts.

Pg. 7 – section about tax credits for healthcare going down.

Pg. 134 – section that puts an age tax on older Americans. Right now insurance companies can’t charge the elderly more than 3 times what it can charge younger Americans. In this bill it goes up 5X more for older Americans.

Pg. 136 - waiver section that allows States to get rid of protections including the Essential Healthcare Benefits Protection that forces insurance companies to provide a minimum amount of healthcare such as maternity care, mental illness, and prescription drugs.

Around pg. 29 are the tax cuts. The bill is designed to give a giant tax cut to millionaires, billionaires, insurance companies and drug companies. If you make under $200,000 dollars a year, you get almost nothing from this bill.

Thank you, Sen. Chris Murphy for breaking that down for us!

Every American needs to listen to former secretary of labor, Robert Reich, as he explains what is in the Senate's healthcare bill and what it means to us.

Over the next decade, the bill gives a 33 billion dollar tax cut to the 400 wealthiest families in America – in a time when the rich are wealthier than they have ever been before. The cost is to the rest of us - a quarter of a million people will lose their Medicaid.

If this healthcare plan is enacted, it will be the single biggest transfer of wealth from the middle class and the poor to the rich in the history of this country!

If this bill passes, the Republicans who voted for it will bear the burden of hundreds of thousands of deaths. Let's save them from themselves. 

What can we do about it?

There are fifty-two republicans in the senate. We need to get 4 or 5 Republican members of congress to deflect. There are five Republican senators who already have misgivings about this bill. Three can stop this bill in its tracks. Contact them now and tell them how this bill will affect you and how much you appreciate their integrity.  Ask them to vote no on this bill.

Capitol switchboard.: 202-224-3121

Your call will be even more effective if you are aware of their concerns – so you can appeal to them.

Sen. Dean Heller (Nevada)

He is up for re-election in 2018.

https://www.facebook.com/moveon/videos/10154526716590493/

https://www.heller.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/home

Sen. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska)
http://www.breitbart.com/video/2017/06/27/gop-sen-murkowski-not-republicans-fix-work-dems-health-care/

http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/26/politics/murkowski-senate-health-care-cbo/index.html

https://www.murkowski.senate.gov/


Sen. Rob Portman (Ohio) 

https://www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=DF84A2F9-93B3-46EF-ABE5-BD2C762BFBAA

Sen. Ron Johnson (Wisconsin) 
On his page, he wrote how the senate healthcare bill fails. If you are going to talk to him, you should read this to know where he stands.

https://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/public/

Sen. Susan Collins (Maine)

Sen. Collins is a moderate. She said that she won’t vote for the bill in its current form. Call to thank her.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2017/06/26/susan-collins-says-she-can-support-republican-health-bill-its-current-form/4yiZNWlOxRyXf8DVeafMGK/story.html

https://www.collins.senate.gov/

Although talking to our Arizona Senators (if you’re not a millionaire or banker) often feels like running into a brick wall, you can try reminding them about how badly a similar Medicaid plan worked out here in Arizona.

http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/medical_examiner/2017/06/arizona_provides_a_bleak_preview_of_america_under_the_ahca.html

Sen. Jeff Flake (Arizona):  (202) 224-4521

https://www.flake.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-jeff

Check out his page for his stance on Healthcare:

https://www.flake.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/healthcare-and-education

Sen. John McCain (Arizona) (202) 224-2235

https://www.mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-form

https://trumpcaretoolkit.org/

Have a heart! Call your Senator and ask him to vote no on this dangerous bill that would allow insurers to stop covering cancer treatments

The U.S. Senate unveiled their secretly drafted health care bill, and now we know why they were keeping it a secret.

The impact on cancer patients could be devastating:

• Insurers could stop covering treatments
• Re-imposing annual and lifetime caps on coverage
• Skyrocketing out-of-pocket costs for cancer patients

Call your U.S. Senator - Senator Jeff Flake - and ask him to vote no on this dangerous bill.

It only takes one minute to leave a message with the receptionist or on their voice mail.

Please call right now. It’s as easy as 1-2-3:

Step 1:
Call Senator Jeff Flake at (202) 224-4521

Step 2:
Leave the following message. You’re always welcome to add your personal story, but it’s not required.

“My name is [your name] and I’m from [city]. I’m calling to ask you to vote against the Senate health care bill because it could take away cancer patients' and survivors' affordable health care coverage. Thank you."

Call now to stop the heartless GOP health care repeal

Senate Republicans just released their health care repeal bill, and it’s just like the original: insurance companies and the ultra-rich get a huge tax break while working families get screwed over.

This is an all hands on deck moment. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is trying to pass this mean-spirited, heartless bill by July 4. In order to defeat it, every Republican lawmaker, starting in the Senate, will need to meet massive resistance every single day. Will you call your senators and let them know that this bill is unacceptable to their constituents, and that no minor tweaks will make it better?

Call your senators and demand that they reject the Republican health care repeal.

Sen. John McCain : (202) 224-2235

Sen. Jeff Flake : (202) 224-4521

“The Senate bill, unveiled today, is not a health care bill. It’s a massive transfer of wealth from middle-class and poor families to the richest people in America. It hands enormous tax cuts to the rich and to the drug and insurance industries, paid for by cutting health care for everybody else. Those with private insurance will experience higher premiums and higher deductibles, with lower tax credits to help working families cover the costs, even as their plans might no longer cover pregnancy, mental health care, or expensive prescriptions. Discrimination based on pre-existing conditions could become the norm again. Millions of families will lose coverage entirely.”(1)

He’s right -- the Senate health care bill is a travesty. It would make health care more expensive, reduce coverage, limit women's access to health services by defunding Planned Parenthood, and end Medicaid as we know it -- robbing countless poor and disabled Americans of access to quality care.

Mitch McConnell says that his bill won’t allow people with pre-existing conditions to be denied coverage. But under the GOP proposal, states can eliminate the requirement that health insurance plans include certain key benefits. That means health insurance companies couldn’t deny coverage to cancer patients, but it could sell them a plan that doesn’t cover their treatment. That’s just immoral.(2)

The Senate Republican bill is full of cynical trickery like this. Another example: the bill subsidizes health insurance payments for poorer Americans for seven years -- just long enough to make sure that no Republican who votes for this will have to face a tough reelection campaign until years after the subsidies disappear. After that, poorer people will be left to fend for themselves.(3)

Of course, the most reactionary Republicans are opposed to any extension of subsidies. So McConnell tried to woo them by cutting Medicaid even more deeply than the House bill does. The elderly, the poor, the disabled, and children will all see cuts to essential benefits that give them a shot at a decent life on a level playing field.(4)

Tell your senators to reject Mitch McConnell’s cynical vision of America by voting against the Senate health care repeal. SCRIPT HERE.

The health care repeal will move quickly -- and that’s why we need you to speak up now. McConnell wants this to be voted on by July 4, but if more than two Republican senators oppose the bill it won't be viable. Republican senators like Dean Heller of Nevada, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Jeff Flake of Arizona and Susan Collins of Maine have all expressed misgivings about the bill, and are important targets.(5) At the same time, reactionary Republican senators like Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, and Ron Johnson are opposing the bill because they don’t think it goes far enough to guarantee misery for millions of people. There’s a real path to stopping this cruel bill from becoming law.(6)

If the repeal bill does pass the Senate, House Republicans will move quickly to try to pass the Senate bill -- giving us another opportunity to stop the health care repeal from becoming law.

In order to stop this bill, we’ll need to demonstrate massive public opposition every step along the way, every single day. Will you call your senators today and ask your friends and family to do the same?

- the Courage team

Your senators need to hear from you today, no matter how you do it. If you can’t make a phone call, try using a text message to send them a fax using Resistbot.

Footnotes:
1. https://www.facebook.com/barackobama/posts/10154996557026749
2. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/senate-health-care-bill-safety-net_us_594ac8f7e4b01cdedefff13c?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009
3. See reference 2.
4. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/21/upshot/gop-health-plan-is-really-a-rollback-of-medicaid.html
5. https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/the-senators-who-could-take-down-the-health-care-bill
6. https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/senate-gop-leaders-set-to-unveil-health-care-bill/2017/06/22/56dbe35c-5734-11e7-a204-ad706461fa4f_story.html

Watch: Murphy Reviews the Republicans Health Care Bill.

Video of Protesters with disabilities forcibly removed

Joyful moment dampened by news of the Republican healthcare plan

This should be a lovely day for me. Looking forward to our first mesquite flour milling this afternoon. And 345 people just saw our blog about harvesting that mesquite. After carefully tending our struggling little moringa tree - that I planted for future generations - it is finally spouting some leaves. But I won't be blogging about the joy of making things grow or drought tolerant, edible trees. Instead I'm blogging about the devastating healthcare bill that the Republican senate just proposed.

Trump said the healthcare bill that the Republican house passed was "mean," and I hear this one is worse. They are paying for tax cuts to the rich with human lives! Senator Elizabeth Warren called it "blood money."  They are proposing devastating cuts to medicaid. Medicaid pays for nursing homes for the elderly and home healthcare for the handicapped and elderly. What do they want us to do with our parents and grandparents?! How can Republicans claim that they are for "pro-life" when they want to cut coverage for maternity care and even caring for premature babies! This bill will negatively affect the quality of life for average Americans. 

Please, take a moment contact your senators now and tell them to reject this ruthless bill. I just did.

Sen. John McCain : (202) 224-2235
Local Offices
Phoenix, AZ: tel: 602-952-2410 fax: 855-952-8702
Prescott, AZ: tel: 928-445-0833 fax: 928-445-8594
Tucson, AZ: tel: 520-670-6334 fax: 520-670-6637

Sen. Jeff Flake : (202) 224-4521
Local Offices
Phoenix, AZ: tel: 602-840-1891 fax: 602-840-4092
Tucson, AZ: tel: 520-575-8633 fax: 520-797-3232