|
Dear Policy Action Network Members,
We received a
Call to Action from our partners at the Colorado Behavioral Health Council (CBHC) and National Council asking us to contact our Senators regarding the upcoming vote on the American Health Care Act (AHCA). Please see the Action Alert and additional documents below and contact Lesa Moseley at
lesam@jcmh.org, if you have any questions.
CBHC's Action Alert!
Members,
As you are all aware, Republicans in the Senate are working on their version of a bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with the American Health Care Act (AHCA) and a vote could come as early as later THIS MONTH. Colorado's Senator Cory Gardner is a member of a small group of colleagues working on this bill. Although the bill has yet to be made public, and has yet to have a public hearing, news reports indicate the bill is very similar to the House version of the AHCA passed in May, with the exception that drastic changes to Medicaid may be drawn out over several years. The Senate's version is expected to have essentially the same disastrous outcomes - 23 million Americans losing coverage, including vital mental health and substance use disorder benefits.
Because of Senator Gardner's participation in the working group to draft this bill, CBHC members have an opportunity to influence his decisions regarding the bill's final form and to inform him of how repeal of the ACA will impact the lives of Coloradans.
Remind your Senators of the critical role Medicaid plays in providing access to lifesaving treatment services to millions of Americans living with mental illness and addiction. Dedicating a few minutes of your time today can help save Medicaid access for millions of Americans in need.
Senator Gardner - Denver: (303) 391-5777 DC: (202) 224-5941
Senator Bennet - Denver: (303) 455-7600, DC: (202) 224- 5852
Phone message example:
"I am calling about the American Health Care Act. I urge you to oppose any proposal that results in cuts or rollbacks of Medicaid. Medicaid is the single largest payer of mental health and addiction treatment services in the country. Any proposals that rollback Medicaid coverage or restrict people's access to treatment will have a significant impact on this vulnerable population. The House-passed bill directly targets important health care protections like the essential health benefits, protections for those with pre-existing conditions and hurts efforts to achieve parity in health care. I'm calling from [city, state, and zip] and my name is [first and last name]."
CBHC has provided additional talking points in the attached documents (News Clips) below.
|
