ACA Defense Hub
President Trump and the GOP are using the federal budget process to continue their attacks on health care coverage for low to middle income Californians. Over the next few weeks and months, the House and Senate will debate a tax cut plan that will give the wealthy a trillion dollar tax break paid for by massive cuts to Medi-Cal, Medicare, mental, oral and preventive health care services.
Check out fact sheets on Federal Budget/Tax Reform:
- Federal Budget Process Explained (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities | August 2017)
- What’s at Stake in Current Federal Budget Pro posals: Fact Sheets by Congressional District (California Budget & Policy Center | August 2017)
- Communities of Color Will Be Hurt by Trump-GOP Tax Plan (CPEHN | November 2017)
- House Passes Trump-GOP Tax Bill: ACA, Medicaid, and Medi-Cal Under Attack! (CPEHN | November 2017)
Check out fact sheets on What’s at Stake Under the Various ACA Repeal Proposals:
- Efforts to Repeal the Affordable Care Act Will Hurt Low-Income and Communities of Color (CPEHN – updated March 2017)
- Impact of Republican ACA Repeal Plans on Mental Health / en Español (CPEHN)
- Impact of Republican ACA Repeal Plans on CA’s Criminal Justice Reforms (CPEHN)
- Impact of Republican ACA Repeal Plans on Prevention (CPEHN – updated 7/17/17)
- District-by-District ACA Enrollment (Health Access – updated 9/20/18)
CPEHN’s Bi-Weekly Round Up:
Catch up with what’s happening with the Affordable Care Act (ACA) including re-caps of ACA repeal efforts including federal budget and tax reform, what to expect, and actions to take. Check back for an update.
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Trump Administration Attacks Immigrant Families While GOP Takes Another Swing at the ACA (6/21/18)
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National Policies Threaten Health of Communities of Color (6/7/18)
- National Policies Threaten Health of California’s Communities of Color (2/20/18)
- No DACA Deal in Budget: Tell Congress We Need a Clean DREAM Act NOW! (2/8/18)
- Federal Budget Deadline Looms: Dreamers & Community Health Centers Await Their Fate (2/5/18)
- DACA and Health Centers Sidelined in New Budget Deal (1/22/18)
- GOP Tax Compromise Reached! Stay Loud Every Day This Week! (12/14/17)
- It’s Now or Never! Tell CA GOP to Vote NO on Tax Bill (12/4/17)
- December: Doomsday for Health Care Looms with #GOPTaxScam (11/30/17)
- House Passes Trump-GOP Tax Bill Leaving ACA, Medicaid, and Medi-Cal at Risk! (11/16/17)
- Trump-GOP Tax bill will Result in Massive Cuts to Health Care (11/7/17)
- Tell Congress to Stop Stalling and Fund Children’s Health Care Now! (11/1/17)
- Make Calls TODAY to Protect Our Care! (10/24/17)
- Trump Issues One-Two Punch to Affordable Care Act (10/13/17)
- Call Today! ACA Repeal Efforts Continue to Advance in the Senate (9/26/17)
- Code Red: ACA Repeal Effort Back and Closer Than Ever! (918/17)
- Repeal Without Replace is Back!!! (November 15, 2017)
- Trump-GOP Tax Bill Will Result in Massive Cuts to Health Care (November 7, 2017)
- Tell Congress to Stop Stalling and Fund Children’s Health Care Now! (November 1, 2017)
- October 24 – October 27
- September 6 – September 9
To view older ACA Round Up’s click here.
Get Involved:
Upcoming Events and Actions*:
- Volunteer for a phone bank if there is one in your area: Click this link: http://bit.ly/2oKzbVt to sign up!
- Talk to real people about what’s at stake. Go to SEIU office near you where you will be trained to use Fight4OurHealth and SEIU’s patch-through technology to call into swing states and districts. There are phone banks set up across the state, in Northern, Central and Southern California. Find your nearest phone bank, and sign up!
- Find a Town Hall Near You
CPEHN Story Collection:
Since passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), over 5 million newly eligible Californians have gained access to health coverage, a majority communities of color through Medi-Cal and Covered California. But all of these gains are now at risk.
Please share your story about how the ACA has helped your community member. Your voice matters, and it will be what helps preserve this progress.
*All events and actions are subject to change. Please contact the organizing organization for up-to-date information.
Upcoming CPEHN Legislative Visits:
CPEHN is scheduling legislative visits during the month of November. For more information contact Keerti Kanchanadam: kkanchinadam@cpehn.org.
Check out videos from some of our visits:
For more information please contact Keerti Kanchanadam: kkanchinadam@cpehn.org.
Details on Administrative and Legislative Threats to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA):
Bipartisan Alexander-Murray Market-Stabilization Proposal:
On October 19, Senators Alexander (R-TN) and Murray (D-WA) introduced a bipartisan package of “stabilization” measures to support the individual and small group health insurance marketplaces. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates the Alexander-Murray Stabilization package would reduce the deficit by $3.8 billion without taking away consumers’ coverage options.
- What’s in the Alexander-Murray Stabilization Package? (Families USA Blog | Oct. 25, 2017)
- CBO: Alexander- Murray Bill Will Benefit Consumers, Lower Federal Costs (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities | October 25, 2017)
- CBO Score: Bi-Partisan Health Care Stabilization Act of 2017 (October 25, 2017)
GOP Hatch-Brady Proposal:
The conservative GOP Hatch-Brady proposal would fund the cost-sharing reduction (CSR) subsidy payments. But in return, it would also suspend Obamacare’s individual mandate requiring Americans to buy health insurance for five years, waive the employer mandate for two years, introduce new abortion-related restrictions on the subsidy money, and expand health savings accounts.
Cost-Sharing Reduction Payments:
On October 12th, President Trump announced the federal government will no longer be making cost-sharing reduction (CSR) payments to insurers. The ACA provides two types of assistance for Covered California consumers who qualify: monthly premium support (the Advanced Premium Tax Credit or APTC) and cost-sharing reductions (CSRs) which are only available to Silver plan members and Native American/Alaska Natives. Half of Covered California enrollees receive CSRs that help to reduce on average out-of pocket expenses by more than $1,500 per household per year or more than $1,000 for an individual. Fortunately, Covered California’s Board voted to protect consumers from the President’s latest attempt to sabotage the ACA. See below for more information on these efforts:
- Covered California 2018 Final Rates Released
Re-post of Covered California announcement, Oct. 11, 2017 - Covered California Poised to Announce 2018 Plan Rates, Amidst Federal Uncertainty
CPEHN blog post, August 1, 2017
Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP):
Congress must pass CHIP funding NOW. CHIP provides affordable kid-appropriate health coverage to nearly 9 million children nationwide, including 2 million children in California. Congress failed to fund CHIP by the Sept. 30, 2017 deadline and still can’t agree on how to pay for the successful program. Funding in many states, including California, is set to run out in December 2017. (See Action Sheet)
- California families need to be able to rely on CHIP without constant fear that their children’s coverage is at risk. (CHIP/Medicaid numbers by CA district).
- The CHIP policy contained in both the House and Senate bills is good policy and bipartisan. Now Congress must finish the job and pay for it in a bipartisan way that does not harm children and families. (Comparison of the House and Senate bills).
- California is currently preparing its budget for FY 2019 and needs certainty about the future of CHIP with specific federal funding levels. (California snapshot)
- We do not want to see the tremendous coverage gains for children over the past two decades put at risk due to Congressional delays. (Q&A on CHIP)
Other Fact Sheets/Resources
- Tens of Thousands of Californians Living with HIV Would be Impacted by Medicaid Cuts Under the Senate Health Bill (California HIV/AIDS Policy Research Center, June 2017)
- Coverage for American Indians and Alaska Natives at Risk Under Senate GOP Health Bill (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, July 12, 2017)
- Cruz Amendment Would Worsen Already Harmful Senate Health Bill for People with Medical Conditions (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, July 12, 2017)
- Senate Health Bill Would Put Coverage Out of Reach for Millions of Low-Income People (Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, July 12, 2017)
- The Senate’s ACA Repeal Would Devastate Rural Communities (Center for American Progress, July 12, 2017)
- Consumer Protections at Risk in Senate’s ACA Repeal Bill (National Health Law Program, July 12, 2017)
- How BCRA Would Harm Public Health and Preventative Care (National Health Law Program)
- Senate Effort to Gut Medicaid Imperils Calif.’s Effort to Ensure Access to Health Care Providers (National Health Law Program, July 14, 2017)
- Medicaid Funding Caps Would Harm Older Adults in California (Justice in Aging)
- True Costs of Repeal: Republican Plans to Repeal the Affordable Care Act Will Harm Every Congressional District (U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce, March 2017)
- Cost-Sharing Subsidies at Risk! (Health Access)
ACA Statements:
CPEHN statements on ACA defense and Republican repeal efforts.
- CPEHN Calls on California’s GOP Congressional Reps to Reject Graham-Cassidy Health Care Repeal Bill (9/13/17)
- CPEHN Supports Formation of New Committee Dedicated to Universal Health Care (8/24/17)
- Senate Moves Reckless Repeal Bill Forward (7/25/17)
- Our Nation’s Leaders Should be Ashamed (6/22/17)
- CBO Estimates 23 Million Would Lose Health Insurance Under GOP Plan (5/24/17)
- President Trump Slashes Funds for Medicaid and Increases Funds for Defense and Border Wall (5/23/17)
- “This is a Scar They Will Carry” (5/4/17)
To view older resources and statements click here.
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