On Friday, Jan. 13, Rep. Elise Stefanik voted to begin
dismantling the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare). This vote is a precursor
to the final vote on the Budget Reconciliation Bill, which will be taken during
the next month.
It is expected that the Budget Reconciliation will repeal
these provisions of the ACA:
- Tax
credits enabling low and middle income families to purchase health
coverage on the Health Care Exchange.
- The
Medicaid expansion, which provides health care for millions of working
families.
- Cost-sharing
subsidies that keep deductibles and co-pays lower than they otherwise
would be for low-income families.
- The
elimination of the Medicare Part D “donut hole,” forcing seniors with high
drug costs to pay thousands of dollars more for their prescriptions.
- Payments
into the Medicare Trust Fund, which make it more solvent so that Medicare
benefits will not need to be cut.
This is not her first assault on the ACA. Ever since she
took office, Rep. Stefanik has been trying to repeal the taxes that fund the
ACA, including taxes on the very wealthy and a tax on tanning salons.
We all know that the ACA is not perfect. Premiums are too
high and there are still too many people who are uninsured. Creating a
Medicare-for-all plan would be better and cheaper. But the ACA has made a good
start. Millions more Americans have health insurance than ever before.
The ACA is like a house with a leaky roof. But instead of
fixing the roof, Rep. Stefanik wants to burn the house down. We need a member
of Congress who represents us! Not the insurance companies, not the tanning
salons, not the billionaires – but us, the hard-working people of NY-21. Rep.
Stefanik, blow out your matches and put down that gas can!
Henrietta Jordan
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