Do you live in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Tennessee, or West Virginia? If so, then one or both of your GOP senators has already stated their opposition to McConnell’s latest gambit to destroy President Obama’s signature healthcare legislation: vote to repeal the ACA now, delay its implementation, and meanwhile come up with a replacement plan. This approach was floated back in December and January, and here’s how six GOP senators from these states reacted (courtesy of Topher Spiro, Center for American Progress):
Repealing the ACA with no replacement will be a disaster. For a quick and clear summary, read this Jan.17, 2017 Vox article, CBO report: Obamacare repeal would lead to 32 million more uninsured by 2026. Here is a brief excerpt.
The report estimates what would likely happen if the partial repeal bill Republicans passed in 2015, but which was vetoed by President Barack Obama, actually became law without any replacement.
Its findings aren’t pretty. CBO estimates that, compared to what’s already projected to happen under current law:
• 18 million more people would become uninsured in the first full year after the bill’s enactment — rising to 32 million more people by 2026;
• premiums in the individual insurance marketplaces would soar — they’d go up 20 to 25 percent above currently projected increases in the first full year after repeal, and “would about double by 2026”; and
• access to coverage on the individual markets would plummet — about half of the US population would live in areas “that would have no insurer participating” in the individual market, CBO projects.
Obviously, we need to turn up the heat on all GOP senators. But these six stand out for special treatment.
Call sample dialogue:
Caller: Hello! My name is [name] and I’m calling from [part of state]. Can you tell me how Senator [ ] plans to vote on the motion to proceed on the health care bill?
Staffer: The Senator hasn’t made a decision on that yet.
Caller: That’s terrible. Senator [ ] should absolutely oppose any attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act. This is a reckless move that Mitch McConnell is making out of desperation with no plan whatsoever as to how the ACA would be replaced. The Congressional Budget Office says 32 million people will lose their insurance and that premiums will double. How could Senator support that?
Staffer: But those numbers aren’t accurate because this is just repealing now with a replacement to come later. We won’t let people go without health insurance.
Calle: That’s ridiculous. If Congress can’t find a compromise today, why should we believe it will find one in a year or two? This is playing games with people's lives.
Staffer: Again, Senator hasn’t made a decision yet.
Caller: Well I want Senator [ ] to make a decision, and oppose any effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act, especially if there is no plan in place to replace it. I want the Senator to vote against the motion to proceed and against the bill itself.
Staffer: Thank you. I’ll let the Senator know your thoughts.
Caller: Thank you. Please take down my contact information so you can let me know how Senator [ ] votes.
Tuesday, Jul 18, 2017 · 3:13:04 PM +00:00
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VTGenie
Sen. Collins a hard no:
“I do not think it is going to be constructive to repeal a law that at this point is so interwoven within our healthcare system and then *hope* that over the next two years we will come up with some kind of replacement.” Repeal would create “great anxiety for individuals who rely on the ACA”… and “cause the insurance markets to go into turmoil.”
Tuesday, Jul 18, 2017 · 4:49:11 PM +00:00
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VTGenie
Sen. Capito is also a “no”— see her statement here.
Her position back in December was a bit more “nuanced” than is indicated by the quote provided above. In the referenced TPM article, she is quoted as saying, “So we need a transition. I think we’ll repeal and then we’ll work during the transition period for the replacement vehicle.”