It’s been in the headlines pretty much since January 2017’s Inauguration Day: Healthcare is on the chopping block in Congress.
Even those of us with health coverage from our employer will be affected if the changes lawmakers propose go into effect. If the Affordable Care Act (ACA—also known as “Obamacare” and, here in California as “Covered California”) is overturned without a better plan in place, it will bring chaos to the insurance markets.
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But there’s an even more fundamental question we ask as union members. Is access to quality healthcare a human right, or simply a privilege? While legislators play with ideas that affect whether or not people live or die, we believe that if cures to disease and injury are available, it’s simply not right to say “well, pay up…or tough luck!”
As Senator Bernie Sanders writes, “Health care must be recognized as a right, not a privilege. Every man, woman and child in our country should be able to access the health care they need regardless of their income.”
We couldn’t agree more. We want legislators to show us their plan to improve care for every American.
Instead, the discussions in Washington, D.C., seem to be taking us further away from that goal. Many SEIU Local 99 members—some who now finally have access to health coverage thanks to the ACA—are terrified. Lives are at stake. The plans that Congress has presented would take healthcare away from millions and bring chaos to our nation’s healthcare system.
We will ALL see less care and higher costs.
We expect our leaders to put people before politics. We urge them to not rip care away from seniors, children or working families. Any healthcare plan will be judged on how it maintains coverage and makes our healthcare delivery system work better.
Here’s what improvements we want to see:
- No one who is covered now loses coverage.
- Healthcare will cost less. No forcing higher premiums, co-pays, or drug costs on people who can’t afford it.
- Insurers will be prevented from discriminating against women and older people.
- People with pre-existing conditions will be protected from discrimination by insurers.
- Coverage will be at least as comprehensive in as the Affordable Care Act.
- Young people will continue to be allowed to stay on their parents plan through age 26.
Although republicans have started saying they also want to “improve and repair” Obamacare instead of “repeal and replace,” this is simply a messaging tactic designed to fool us. All of their plans to “repair” would still rip healthcare away from millions of Californians.
Republicans insist that their plan will be “better.” A better healthcare plan must:
- Cover more people
- Increase basic protections, like those for people with pre-existing conditions
- Reduce healthcare costs for everyone, not just the young and healthy
Add your voice! Call Congress today: 866-426-2631
