Just when we thought the Congress had moved on to bipartisan efforts to improve on the ACA and fund children’s health insurance, Sens. Graham and Cassidy introduced their new and even WORSE ACA Repeal bill. Unfortunately, this bill is gaining steam as the Senate has only until Sept. 30 to pass it with only 50 votes.

We need to fight harder than ever to stop this last ditch effort to strip millions of people of their health insurance.  In Illinois that means calling on our members of the House to publicly oppose the Graham-Cassidy proposal.

If this bill is approved in the Senate, it still needs a vote in the House. Public opposition from the House NOW could stop this bill in its tracks–yet many Members of Congress from Illinois have been silent.

We need you to call your Member of Congress today (1-866-877-3303) and tell them to publicly oppose the Graham-Cassidy bill – which could come to the House as early as next week!

The financial impact of Graham-Cassidy in Illinois is clear. An Avalere report shows that Illinois would lose $8 billion dollars for Medicaid between 2020 and 2026—money that will be given instead to states that did not expand Medicaid. When this block grant expires, Illinois will lose $10 billion in 2027 alone.

In addition, Graham-Cassidy would:

• Decimate the fragile Illinois budget, by cutting $153 billion in health care funding by 2036, including $8 billion that will be given to other states that chose not to expand Medicaid;
• Eliminate the financial assistance that helps low- and moderate-income families purchase health care coverage;
• End expanded Medicaid coverage that helps millions of low-income adults;
• Jeopardize access to the most effective treatments for addiction and weaken states’ efforts to address the current crisis of drug overdose deaths;
• Undermine essential protections for people with pre-existing conditions;
• Resurrect – and worsen – the devastating cuts in coverage and benefits that the American public and the majority of Congress have already rejected.

Please call your Member of Congress today (866) 877-3303 and tell them that the Graham-Cassidy bill is extremely harmful to Illinois families. Tell them you want them to return to the bipartisan talks that were finally starting in Congress to stabilize the Marketplace.

Thank you for all that you have done the past 9 months to help Protect Our Care and defeat the continuous onslaught of ACA repeal bills. YOU are the reason why we have gotten this far!