Just when we thought the GOP healthcare plan couldn’t get any worse, it does. The set of changes to the American Health Care Act (ACHA) introduced on Monday by House Republicans includes a clause that would impact new mothers that receive Medicaid.
Under the new provision, states can choose to rescind Medicaid coverage to unemployed mothers who don't find work within 60 days after giving birth. This provision is modeled after Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), a state-run program that provides financial aid to qualifying poor families—and includes similar work requirements, a spokesperson for the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which worked on the new AHCA bill, told Fortune.
Yes, that’s right. This clause allows states to require women to get jobs a mere two months after having babies or risk being booted off their Medicaid. States can, however, choose to exempt mothers from the work requirements if they have a child with a disability or a chid who is under the age of six. And they have the option of expanding the 60-day window if they so choose. Which is not exactly good news because while we can trust certain states to do the right thing, we know there are some places in this country that are clearly a throwback to the Stone Ages.
The vote is happening TODAY and it’s not too late to stop it. Even if you have already called your member of Congress, call the Capitol Hill switchboard again at (202) 224-3121. Keep calling and urge your member of Congress to vote NO.
But let’s get all of this straight—the Republicans want to strip the Affordable Care Act of nearly all maternity and child care benefits, replace it with this garbage bill and then want to require women to work within 60 days of childbirth. Which group of women exactly do you think will be impacted by this? Low income women, that’s who. But since when do Republicans care about low income women? Or any women for that matter? And critics have rightfully called this out.
Critics of the AHCA have claimed it only benefits wealthy Americans, pointing to proposals to either do away with or cut back on services that many lower-income women (and others) rely on—such as defunding Planned Parenthood or rolling back the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion.
This is a complete disaster. Poor women and children in America should have it so much better.
The vote is happening TODAY and it’s not too late to stop it. Even if you have already called your member of Congress, call the Capitol Hill switchboard again at (202) 224-3121. Keep calling and urge your member of Congress to vote NO.
