Yesterday, the Senate voted to open the floor for debate on the ACA repeal bill. The process they’re using moves fast—and that means the Senate will be voting on the final bill either TOMORROW OR FRIDAY.
This bill has morphed and mutated multiple times over the course of the last few weeks, but one thing has stayed the same: it will absolutely destroy our healthcare system, and with it, the lives of millions of Americans. Here’s a quick recap of what this bill will do:
- No matter which version they vote on, millions of people will lose their health insurance.
- No matter which version they vote on, Medicaid will be cut by billions of dollars.
- No matter which version they vote on, millions of people with disabilities will have a harder time getting the health care and services we need.
If you’re feeling exhausted, scared, or overwhelmed, you’re not alone. This fight has been hard on us because of how important it is – and that’s exactly why we can’t give up now. These last days are critical. Here’s how we can win:
- Keep calling. Call your Senators and tell them to vote NO. If you have already called, keep calling. If you have trouble with phone conversations, this evening is a great chance to call and leave a voicemail while offices are closed. If you use AAC, you can call in using your AAC device, or get a friend to read your message into the phone. After you call your Senators’ DC office, try their state offices. You can use our script:
- Send emails and faxes. After you call, email your Senators and say the same thing. Then, send them a fax with that same message.
- Go to your Senators’ local offices and tell their staff what you think. To find your Senators’ local offices, visit contactingcongress.org. Under the contact information for each Senator, there is a list of their local offices. This is one of the most effective ways to get your point across to an elected official.
You may have heard people saying that this bill is dead or that the Senate doesn’t have the votes. But we’ve heard that before – people said the same thing about the House bill, and about today’s vote to proceed. Both of those votes passed. We can’t let that happen again. So don’t let down your guard – this bill is very much alive, and it could very easily pass. We are the only thing standing in the way of this bill. In the next few days, we have to call, email, show up, and advocate like our lives depend on it – because for many of us, they do.