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Independent Living News & Policy from the National Council on Independent Living

Healthcare Vote Expected Next Week: The Fight Is Not Over!

The Senate released their updated version of the Better Care Reconciliation Act (PDF) yesterday, and all of our concerns remain the same. Read the Senate summary (PDF). The new version will still cut Medicaid by $772 billion, with an even more restrictive growth rate and deeper cuts starting in 2025. Fifteen million people will lose Medicaid. The bill also still eliminates the enhanced match for the Community First Choice Option, removes protections for people with pre-existing conditions, and allows waivers to eliminate essential health benefits, on top of adding a new provision to create separate insurance products for people with higher and lower health needs.

NCIL logo - National Council on Independent LivingThis new version of the bill has made NO improvements. Despite that, we’re hearing that Republicans who were undecided or even opposed to the previous version of the bill are now leaning toward voting YES. Republicans are reportedly becoming more unified around this new version, and we cannot let that happen!

The vote is expected to take place next week. That means that we have less than one week to fight this dangerous bill, and every single day counts. We need to make sure our Senators understand how dangerous this bill is for their constituents with disabilities. We need them to understand that we are literally fighting for our lives. And we have less than one week to make sure they hear us.

Take Action!

  • Call your Senators by dialing the Capitol Switchboard at (202) 224-3121.
  • Use Resistbot to have your texts turned into faxes, mail, or hand-delivered letters.
  • Use faxzero.com to fax your Senators for free.
  • Find your Senator’s email address, Twitter handle, and other information through Contacting Congress.
  • Please see our previous alert for additional ways to take action. Every single one of us needs to keep the pressure on our Senators! Call often, send emails, keep protesting, and Tweet at GOP Senators; take action in every way you can!

* Priority Senators

We encourage everyone to reach out to their Republican Senators, but the following is a list of top priority Senators, including phone numbers for all of their offices, fax numbers, Twitter handles, and contact pages, as well as information for their healthcare staffers. Please utilize as many of these options as possible! If these are not your Senators, please make sure to reach out to everyone you know in their states! 

Heller (NV)

Las Vegas office: (702) 388-6605
Reno office: (775) 686-5770
Washington, DC office: (202) 224-6244
Fax: (202) 228-6753
Twitter handle: @SenDeanHeller
Online contact form: www.heller.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-form
Healthcare staffer: Rachel Green
[email protected]
(202) 224-6244

Capito (WV)

Beckley office: (304) 347-5372
Charleston office: (304) 347-5372
Martinsburg office: (304) 262-9285
Morgantown office: (304) 292-2310
Washington, DC office: (202) 224-6472
Fax: (202) 225-7856
Twitter handle: @SenCapito
Online contact form: www.capito.senate.gov/contact/contact-shelley
Healthcare staffer: Dana Richter
[email protected]
(202) 224-6472

Murkowski (AK)

Anchorage office: (907) 271-3735
Fairbanks office: (907) 456-0233
Juneau office: (907) 586-7277
Kenai office: (907) 283-5808
Ketchikan office: (907) 225-6880
Mat-Su Valley office: (907) 376-7665
Washington, DC office: (202) 224-6665
Fax: (202) 224-5301
Twitter handle: @LisaMurkowski
Online contact form: www.murkowski.senate.gov/contact/email
Healthcare staffer: Morgan Griffin
[email protected]
(202) 224-6665

Cassidy (LA)

Alexandria office: (318) 448-7176
Baton Rouge office: (225) 929-7711
Lafayette office: (337) 261-1400
Lake Charles office: (337) 493-5398
Metairie office: (504) 838-0130
Monroe office: (318) 324-2111
Shreveport office: (318) 798-3215
Washington, DC office: (202) 224-5824
Fax: (202)224-9735
Online contact form: www.cassidy.senate.gov/contact
Healthcare staffer: Matt Gallivan
[email protected]
(202) 224-5824

Portman (OH)

Cincinnati office: (513) 684-3265
Cleveland office: (216) 522-7095
Columbus office: (614) 469-6774
Toledo office: (419) 259-3895
Washington, DC office: (202) 224-3353
Fax: (202) 224-9075
Twitter handle: @SenRobPortman
Online contact form: www.portman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contact-form
Healthcare staffer: Sarah Schmidt
[email protected]
(202) 224-3353

Gardner (CO)

Colorado Springs office: (719) 632-6706
Denver office: (303) 391-5777
Fort Collins office: (970) 484-3502
Grand Junction office: (970) 245-9553
Greeley office: (970) 352-5546
Pueblo office: (719) 543-1324
Washington, DC office: (202) 224-5941
Fax: (202) 224-6524
Twitter handle: @SenCoryGardner
Online contact form: www.gardner.senate.gov/contact-cory/email-cory
Healthcare staffer: Curtis Swager
[email protected]
(202) 224-5941

Comments

  1. I encouraged all of these senators to vote for the repeal of Obamacare as quickly as possible.

    This is a major priority that voters expressed last year with the election of President Trump and with subsequent elections (for example, Handel’s victory in Georgia) to secure his agenda.

    Senate inactivity on healthcare proposals has to stop; it’s getting embarrassing that Republicans have not passed the repeal yet.

  2. 1. There need to do something for low & middle income of the people to be able to get health insurances without any problem or with low cost at different plans
    2. In some countries, the people get free health insurances. It would be nice if u research at their countries how to do that. Maybe use Gov’t money from our tax to pay health insurances for them?