You called, you e-mailed, you rallied.
They said we couldn’t stop Congress from repealing the Affordable Care Act, but you showed up anyway.
And today, you WON.
As you may have heard, the U.S. House of Representatives just pulled the “American Health Care Act,” their bill to gut the Affordable Care Act and slash funding for Medicaid. They canceled the planned vote because they did not have enough support to pass the bill.
This is a huge victory for every person who believes in access to health care, and for the 24 million Americans who would have lost their health insurance under this bill. And it is proof that the voice of grassroots supporters like you can make a difference.
Since the Affordable Care Act was signed into law – seven years and one day ago – the U.S. has made tremendous strides in improving access to health care. Insurance levels are at the highest level ever. People are no longer charged unfair rates because they have a pre-existing condition, or because they are women. Insurance now has to cover more of the services we need.
In the years since the ACA took effect, Missouri Health Care for All has spoken with hundreds of Missourians, coming from every part of the state, who have benefitted from the Affordable Care Act. Women have received treatment for breast cancer. Young adults have gotten coverage. People battling addiction have been able to access treatment. Families have avoided medical bankruptcy.
This dangerous bill was halted by a deep groundswell of opposition from people across the country. Here in Missouri, thousands of people have called and e-mailed their members of Congress. Just this week, more than 350 Missourians attended 14 rallies across the state. The message from these supporters was clear and loud: Congress should abandon attempts to gut the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid.
Today is a good day for Missouri and the U.S. We look forward to working with elected officials to build upon the gains we have made toward making health care affordable and accessible for every person.
This weekend, take some time to celebrate a hard-won victory that will save lives in every part of this country.
But don’t go away – our work isn’t done yet. We expect further attacks on health care from both Congress and the Missouri Legislature. And, we still need to fix the real holes in our health care system, such as the Coverage Gap that leaves 300,000 Missourians without health care.
We’re in this for the long haul, and are grateful to have you with us. We’ll be in touch next week about next steps.
Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for being part of this movement.
By KEVIN CONDONGov. Jay Nixon, D-Mo., on Thursday signed into law House Bill 1565, which updates an asset limit measure that is more than 40 years old and allows people with disabilities to retain Medicaid benefits and save for unexpected expenses.