Pushed by Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA), the bill repeals the ACA’s consumer protections, allowing insurance companies to once again discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions, sell worthless “junk” insurance, revoke coverage the moment someone gets sick, charge non-smoking women more than smoking men, treat rape and domestic violence as pre-existing conditions, and reinstate annual and lifetime caps on coverage.

The ACA was the biggest leap forward for both women’s health and LGBTQ health in a generation. But Graham-Cassidy goes far beyond repealing the ACA.

It also makes a lie of Donald Trump’s campaign pledge to protect Medicaid. The bill eliminates the ACA’s Medicaid expansion after 2019 and guts long-standing traditional Medicaid. It also attacks private insurance coverage of abortion and blocks women and men from using Medicaid at Planned Parenthood for services like cancer screenings, STD treatments, and more. (Read more about the bill through our Raising Women’s Voices initiative.)

Thanks to Senate procedural rules, Republicans only have two weeks to ram through repeal with just 50 senators, plus the tie-breaking vote from Vice President Mike Pence. After September 30, they will once again need 60 votes to overcome a filibuster on any health care package.

We aren’t staying silent!

Through our Raising Women’s Voices campaign, the NWHN has been activating our network of state and local partners nationwide to make calls, host rallies, write to local news outlets, and more. And on Tuesday, NWHN interns Joanna Wood, Kara Cotto (pictured), and Elly Kosova joined dozens of ACA supporters at a rally on Capitol Hill to kill Trumpcare for good. Representatives from multiple states, along with equal opportunity and human rights based organizations, shared testimonials that passing Graham-Cassidy will result in millions of Americans having their health care stripped away from them.

We need your help! Take action TODAY and tell your senators to VOTE NO on Graham-Cassidy.

You can find your phone numbers for your senators at Senate.gov or call the switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be transferred to their offices. Then spread the word to your friends and family members! With your help, we can defeat Trumpcare for good on September 30!

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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.

Read more from Sarah Christopherson.

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