Congress is Back & It's Time to Protect Medicaid!
Congress Returns to Work
Congress is back in Washington, D.C. this week after their August recess. While the Senate was unable to pass any healthcare legislation before going on recess, the healthcare debate is still alive and well in Washington DC. Where some Senators are trying to revive the healthcare legislation that would restructure and make massive cuts to Medicaid, others are working to stabilize the ACA's Insurance Marketplaces.
Today and Tomorrow
The Senate's Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) committee has scheduled bi-partisan hearings for September 6th & 7th on the stabilization of the Affordable Care Act's Marketplace. The HELP committee, including Georgia's own Senator Isakson, will hear testimony from Governors and Insurance Commissioners from a variety of states with a primary focus on private insurance topics. These hearings are an important step in helping to stabilize and strengthen the ACA Marketplaces and we expect to see recommendations and proposals that include guaranteed funding of cost-sharing reduction payments to insurers, funding for a reinsurance program, and strong enforcement of the individual mandate, all of which would help to hold down prices for consumers who purchase their coverage through the ACA.
As the HELP committee begins its ACA Marketplace stabilization hearings, it is important that Senator Isakson hear from you.
What You Can Do:
Contact Senator Isakson and ask that he 1) support bi-partisan efforts to stabilize the ACA Marketplace and 2) ensure that no Medicaid cuts or changes are included in legislation meant to stabilize the ACA. Tell him Georgians with disabilities are counting on him to make sure Medicaid and the Home & Community Based Services they rely on to live and work in their community remain intact. You can call Senator Isakson at 202-224-3643 and 770-661-0999 or send him an email.
Want to know more about what to expect from Congress on health care during September? Check out this blog from Georgians for a Healthy Future.
For more information on how to get your voice heard, go to gcdd.org/save-medicaid.
