The National Women’s Health Network Responds to Announcement that the Senate Won’t Vote on Trumpcare This Week
The National Women’s Health Network Responds to Announcement that the Senate Won't Vote on Trumpcare This Week
Washington, D.C. – In response to widespread public outrage, Senate Republicans announced today that they were postponing a planned vote on their bill (also known as “Trumpcare”) to repeal parts of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), radically restructure Medicaid, and cut taxes for the wealthiest households.
The National Women’s Health Network is thrilled that this attack on women’s health won’t be rushed through this week, but cautions that the fight is far from over.
“We're delighted that senators listened to their constituents and paused this week instead of fast-tracking Trumpcare with no public input. But we know we can’t let up,” said Cindy Pearson, Executive Director. “We expect Senator McConnell to use the next few weeks to twist arms and make side deals. We want the entire Senate to know that this bill is unfixable and we won’t stop until it is defeated once and for all.”
As introduced, the bill would:
- Cost 22 million people their health insurance coverage and raise premiums and out-of-pocket costs for millions of others, according to the Congressional Budget Office;
- Eliminate Medicaid’s guarantee of coverage for the first time in history, threatening 75 million pregnant women, children, people with disabilities, seniors, veterans and more;
- Drop protections for maternity care, contraception coverage and private individual coverage of abortion care, putting this coverage out of reach for millions of women;
- Bar women with Medicaid from using their coverage at Planned Parenthood for health services such as cancer screening and STD testing, forcing clinics to close;
- Allow states to eliminate coverage of essential health benefits such hospitalizations, prescription drugs, and mental health services, removing protections for people with pre-existing conditions.
These attacks on our current health care system are a reprehensible scheme to create massive tax cuts for the ultra-rich at the expense of American lives.
In 2009-10, the National Women’s Health Network worked alongside coalition allies and members of Congress to ensure that the Affordable Care Act included coverage for preventive services like contraception, maternity care and well-woman visits, and put an end to a history of gender-based health insurance discrimination. The NWHN was on the front lines again in 2012 and 2015 when the Supreme Court ruled in support of key pieces of the ACA.
While the Senate failed to vote this week, they could take it up again at any point in July. The National Women’s Health Network will not rest while the health of American women and families is still at risk.
For more information about NWHN’s work to ensure universal access to health care that meets the needs of diverse women, visit our website: https://nwhn.org/raisingwomensvoices/
The National Women’s Health Network is supported by our members and by choice we do not accept financial support from drug companies or medical device manufacturers. We bring the voices, concerns, and needs of women consumers to policy and regulatory tables.
Sarah Christopherson, MA, is the Legislative Director for the social justice campaign, Americans for Tax Fairness, and the NWHN’s former Policy Advocacy Director. Her 10 years working for Congress and her deep knowledge of health policy and consumer protection make her the NWHN’s issue area expert on federal health reform implementation and defense, drug and device safety and efficacy, and sexual and reproductive health.