Miriam,
I never received the February ACB Leadership notice. Maybe our
legislative chair overlooked it. But below is what I did receive this
morning, March 8, the same day on which comments to our congress
representatives are needed. To study the proposed legislation and to
then contact our representatives is far more than most members are
going to do. One of the first issues ACB should deal with is how to
disseminate information and requests for action, in an understandable
and timely way. Of course that still doesn't deal with your concerns.
But I guess my thought is that we are in the Swamp, ducking
alligators, so we do what we can while trying not to get eaten.
Carl Jarvis
*****
On Monday, March 6th, Republicans in Congress introduced the American
Healthcare Act, which will replace major provisions in the Patient
Protection and
Affordable Care Act, commonly known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
The Republican proposal will make significant changes to the nation’s
healthcare
system. While provisions such as pre-existing conditions and coverage
for children on parents plans up to age 26 will continue, major
changes to healthcare
subsidies and the way federal government carries out its Medicaid
program will have significant changes.
It is critical that Congress hear the primary concerns constituents
face, as this legislation is expected to move swiftly through the
House of Representatives.
The Kaiser Family Foundation, which provides non-partisan healthcare
research, has put together a helpful side-by-side analysis of the
legislation, with
comparisons to the Affordable Care Act and other past legislative
proposals. Their analysis can be found at the following link:
http://kff.org/interactive/proposals-to-replace-the-affordable-care-ac
t/?utm_campaign=KFF-2017-March-The-American-Health-Care-Act&utm_source
=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=44056092&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8crMBQZ
xTy7FgePYr-4D_pcKtPubAOxMWAP_ewISWmMtC4gsw1hC9GukxifIRjMygWn5wiw-1xmBE
V-9_PmN0gYIswJg&_hsmi=44056092
The House Committee on Ways and Means is slated to mark up the
legislation on March 8th. To learn more about the bill and the
mark-up, visit:
https://waysandmeans.house.gov/american-health-care-act/
Counter response to the legislation can be found on the Democrats
page for the Ways and Means Committee:
https://democrats-waysandmeans.house.gov/
To find your member of Congress and their congressional office
contact info, visit:
http://www.congress.gov
It is important to let your Member of Congress know where you stand
on healthcare reform. Safety net programs like Medicaid are vital for
millions of
Americans with disabilities. Make your voice be heard.
Sincerely,
Tony
Anthony Stephens
Director of Advocacy & Governmental Affairs American Council of the
Blind
1703 N. Beauregard Street, STE 420
Alexandria, VA 22311
(T)
202.467.5081
(F)
703.465.5085
_______________________________________________
