Social Work Blog Social work updates from NASW
The Senate is poised to consider health care legislation before the July 4th Congressional Recess, which will repeal major portions of the Affordable Care Act.
Like the House-passed American Health Care Act (H.R. 1628), the Senate version, being drafted behind closed doors, expects to undermine vital protections for Americans with pre-existing conditions, eliminate essential health benefits, increase premiums, cut Medicaid, and cause as many as 23 million people to lose coverage.
It’s critical that Senators hear from you! Especially if you live in a state with Senator’s who are currently undecided in terms of their votes, such as: Susan Collins (R-ME), Shelly Moore Capito (R-WV), Rob Portman (R-OH), Cory Gardner (R-CO), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Jeff Flake (R-AZ), Dean Heller (R-NV), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Rand Paul (R-KY), Mike Lee (R-UT), and Ted Cruz (R-TX).
As a Social Worker and constituent your voice is powerful. Contact your Senators, today, and urge them to support a new direction that prioritizes the needs of our nation’s most vulnerable populations and promotes health security for all Americans.
Share on Social Media:
Facebook/LinkedIN:
The Senate is working on legislation that will cause millions of Americans to lose health care. Join NASW in urging lawmakers to #ProtectOurCare! bit.ly/2rz8d0L
Twitter:
Join NASW to #ProtectOurCare and fight Senate bill that could end health care for millions bit.ly/2rz8d0L #SWStandUp
Other Actions You Can Take:
o Visit the office of members of Congress
o Attend state-level town hall and coalition meetings
Please Update the NASW website. The Senate Republicans released their health care bill yesterday, June 22, 2017. They will not have hearings and are to RUSH TO VOTE by next week, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 28,2017. This bill is a moral catastrophe: it cuts health care to the most vulnerable, poor, working poor, elderly, disabled in order to pay for tax cuts to the riches in our country. Medicaid programs around the country will be severely cut. Specifically, this means programs that provide support to Social Worker’s clients, including, disabled children (autism, for instance), the elderly in nursing homes, disabled adults, mental health services no longer required to be in parody with physical, maternity services to the 49% babies born in this country, no mandate to accept pre existing conditions, So if you hold insurance with your employer, you to will be impacted. The Republican Senate bill will effect all insurance holders, taking us back to the days, pre ACA, with all the problems overwhelming the health care industry in this country. Please inform yourselves and call your Senators. Tell them to vote NO. As an NASW member, I expect NASW will be advocating as well to stop this bill, DOA. We are better that this in this country. We do not rob the poor, vulnerable to give to the rich.
Thanks Ms. Williams. Please check out the homepage of Social Work Blog. We have issued an updated action alert.
Greg Wright
NASW Public Relations Manager
Obhama care is an abject failure! It has to go. The only people it helps are those at perhaps the poverty line or who are unemployed! Anyone who works is in a word screwed. Who can afford it? No providers and no coverage.
I no longer support the NASW you do not represent most people. You have become far too left and your agenda is not one I wish to financially support.
Hello Ms. Ferraro:
Thanks for taking time to comment and we appreciate your views.
NASW is under no illusion that the Affordable Care Act is perfect. However we support having Republicans and Democrats working together to fix ACA instead of repealing it, jeopardizing the health care of millions of Americans, cutting funds from Medicaid, and using the cuts to fund tax cuts for the wealthy.
Greg Wright
NASW Public Relations Manager
I read the article by Alison Laurie about healthcare. Do nt let the numbers fool you. People pay insurance companies to carry an insurance card but they do not have access to healthcare. Premiums are extremely high, sometimes more than one’s mortgage with very high deductibles. In many cases insurance does not kick in until the person pays $6600 out of pocket. If people are making $10-$13 per hour these costs are impossible.
My own personal example I am paying $500 per month for catastrophic only insurance. I had two skin cancer surgeries and had to pay out of pocket. That money was not credited to my decductibel because my insurance was “catastrophic only” and so was the deductible. The ACA has negatively impacted me personally and professionally.
On a professiona basis in the area I live there are a lot of low income workers. As noted above they carry an insurance card from their employers but have such high deductilbes cannot seek treatment. After 25 years of private practice I needed to find a full time job to get some sort of insurance and to support my practice.
To reiterate about the ACA just becasue someone pays the insurance company money and carries an insurance card, does not mean they have access to healthcare.