The House GOP released the text of their Affordable Care Act bill last night which dismantles the core of the Obamacare program, including Medicaid expansion (MediCal in California). It also substantially reduces the ACA subsidies that helped millions afford health insurance.

The proposal also caps federal spending on the Medicaid program, a plan that shifts health care costs to states. This would spell disaster for California’s most vulnerable children and families, including former foster youth who are currently eligible for Medicaid coverage until age 26. 

### IMMEDIATE STEPS ###

What you can do:

Make three phone calls. Sample script: “There must be an open and transparent   process before taking health insurance away from tens of millions of people and destroying Medicaid.”

“The secret plan needs to be debated responsibly under regular order – there needs to be an opportunity for input, hearings, and a CBO score before the first vote is cast in Committee.”

Contact:

• Call House Speaker Ryan – (202) 225-0600
• Call the House Energy & Commerce Committee – (202) 225-2927
• Call the House Ways & Means Committee – (202) 225-3625
• Spread the word via social mediausing the hashtag #ProtectMedicaid and

#ProtectOurCare and forward this email to your networks

* If you live in a district with a Republican House Representative, call them too!  866-426-2631 (you will be connected to your Republican Representative). Click here for a constituent script.

Timeline:  Votes in two key committees are scheduled for tomorrow without opportunity for hearings or a cost estimate from the Congressional Budget Office (known as the “CBO score”). The House wants to jam the legislation through so they don’t need to answer to their constituents when they go home for the next Recess in early April.

The bottom line? 

“This is not replacement legislation, it is a measure intended to repeal the ACA and destroy Medicaid as we know it.” –National Health Law Program

Sources: National Health Law Program; Washington Post; Politico; Indivisible

Thank you,

Jodie Langs