Moms stand up for Medicaid!
We need you. The revised version of the U.S. Senate Republican’s horribly destructive health care bill included an amendment (offered by U.S. Senators Cruz and Lee) that makes it even worse by allowing insurers to opt out of the Affordable Care Act’s coverage requirements if they offer at least one plan that covers essential health benefits. This means insurers would be able to jack up premiums on the more comprehensive plans, undermining coverage for people with pre-existing conditions and leaving millions of Americans who need coverage for things like mental health care, preventative care, birth control, and prescription drugs without an affordable option.
And it also means we’ll go back to the pre-Obamacare days when pregnant women would be faced with the reality of having health coverage that doesn’t provide maternity care.
Raising your voice right now is important. Women across the nation, like Dominique in Maryland, who wrote the story below, are at risk of losing health care:
"I did not have health care coverage...and when I got pregnant with my second child, I was extremely stressed out, wondering how we were going to pay for doctors bills, especially thinking about childbirth. I honestly believe that all this stress ended up in a miscarriage after three months of pregnancy, which was devastating. Not only did I have to deal with the anguish of losing a baby, I had to deal with the phone call from the hospital the next day asking me how I was going to pay for the miscarriage. I was totally freaked out that the hospital personnel would be so callous as to call me the day after my baby died. My husband and I had to declare bankruptcy because we could not pay the astronomical amount that was charged to us from the hospital.”
The destructive Cruz Amendment will create insurmountable barriers to maternal health coverage for millions of women, cutting many off from care completely. This is not okay. Everyone who becomes pregnant or gives birth should have access to a safe, healthy, and respectful experience. Access to health insurance and quality, equitable health care are crucial.
What’s happening? In the U.S., more women are dying from pregnancy or childbirth complications than in recent history. In fact, the U.S. has one of the worst maternal and infant mortality rates of any developed nation. There are also troubling racial disparities: Black women have an almost three times (3x!!) greater risk of death from pregnancy complications than White women, independent of age, parity, or education. These statistics are scary, but if the destructive U.S. Senate Republican proposed Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA/Trumpcare) becomes law, these numbers would only get worse—putting the lives of expectant mothers unnecessarily at risk. We should be working to improve outcomes for expectant mothers and their infants—not stripping coverage and protections from them!
Additionally, the current legislation targets Medicaid for decimation through massive funding cuts, as well as block grants, which would not only pass the fiscal responsibility on to the states (which we all know they can’t afford!), but threaten the health and well-being of our families and economy. The proposed legislation would weaken Medicaid by slashing over $1 trillion dollars over 10 years from the program, reducing it by a third of its current size. Block grants would further give states the ability to narrow the eligibility criteria for pregnant women, essentially cutting important health access for expectant mothers dependent on Medicaid.
Slashing Medicaid is an awful idea.
About half of the births in the U.S. are covered through Medicaid. Medicaid expansion gave millions of women access to coverage. It made continuous coverage available to new mothers who had qualified for Medicaid while pregnant but whose incomes were not low enough to qualify as a parent.
We need YOUR voice now! The U.S. Senate is set to vote next week to dismantle Medicaid as we know it, roll back protections for women and expectant mothers, and repeal the Affordable Care Act!
To be clear, the repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) would also widen racial disparities in health care access. About 15 million African Americans in the U.S. get coverage through Medicaid, with about 1.5 million of them covered through the ACA’s Medicaid expansion. Nearly one-third of black women of reproductive age are enrolled in Medicaid, and millions of black women gained access to maternal health screenings through the ACA. Furthermore, Medicaid reduces poverty most among Black and Hispanic communities. Congress should be applauding and supporting efforts that reduce disparities, instead of wasting their time turning back progress.
I am one of over a million MomsRising members and your constituent. I am writing to ask that you ensure the health care security of expectant mothers, infants, and children by protecting Medicaid and improving—not repealing—the Affordable Care Act (ACA).Right now, more U.S. more women are dying from pregnancy or childbirth complications than in recent history. In fact, the U.S. has one of the worst maternal and infant mortality rates of any developed nation. What expectant moms need now more than ever is health care access—not health care cuts. Medicaid provides access to doctor’s visits, prenatal and preventative care, and treatment for health complications, all of which can be deciding factors between life and death for expectant mothers and their babies.The Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA) would weaken coverage protections for expectant mothers and strip away Medicaid for many who would otherwise have no access to health insurance. Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act also help reduce racial health disparities. Black women die at a rate that is three times higher than white women due to birth related causes. This is regardless of age, parity or education. Millions of black women gained access to maternal health screenings through the ACA. Slashing Medicaid funds and repealing the ACA would have devastating impacts on minority communities, pushing back progress that has been made.Please stand against the Better Care Reconciliation Act, which is a threat to mothers, children, our families, and our economy.
This is a big deal. Medicaid provides health insurance for many who would otherwise have no access to it. It provides access to doctor’s visits, prenatal and preventative care (including reproductive health care), and treatment for health complications, all of which can be deciding factors between life and death for expectant moms.
We need everyone to speak out to protect our health care. We need to speak out to protect pregnant women and their families.
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