Dear friends,
At the start of last week, things were looking uncertain. Once again, the Senate was considering a bill that would repeal the Affordable Care act, gut Medicaid funding, and take health insurance away from millions of people. They claimed they had enough votes to rush the bill through. We didn’t know what to expect. All we could do was keep advocating here in DC, and make sure you had the tools to advocate at home – the rest was up to you.
Once again, the disability community showed up. ADAPT led a massive protest on Monday, putting their bodies on the line to fight for everyone’s right to health care. Grassroots advocates led rallies across the country. And you spoke up – by calling and emailing your Members of Congress, going to town halls and protests, and sharing your stories. You did not let your elected officials ignore what this bill would do to our communities. And because you forced them to face the facts, we won.
All year long, Congress has been using a legislative trick called reconciliation to try and repeal the ACA without the normal number of votes. But the trick has a time limit, and as of October 1st, they are out of time. Thanks to you, we ran the clock out. Thanks to you, millions of people will continue to have health care. Thanks to you, we won.
Thank you.
A lot of our resources at ASAN have gone into fighting this crucial battle over the last 9 months. Together with our grassroots and the broader disability community, we’ve faced the threat of ACA repeal three times – and every time, we’ve won. We’re ready to do it all over again, but we need your help. If you are able, please consider making a donation to support ASAN’s advocacy work. Your support makes it possible for us to:
- Defend the disability community against attacks here in Washington
- Develop plain language and Easy Read advocacy toolkits
- Coordinate accessible phone banks, postcard campaigns, and more
- Work to make policy advocacy inclusive and accessible for all self-advocates
Thank you so much for your dedication and determination. There will be more hard fights in the months ahead; Congress is already trying to undermine the ADA, and we expect more threats to people with disabilities during the upcoming debates on the federal budget. So get ready to defend our rights again–but do not forget this moment. This victory shows that when we stand together and raise our voice, we win.
In solidarity,
Julia Bascom
Executive Director