RELEASE
July 19, 2017
Contact: Katie Reinisch, 303-653-1009, katie@progressive-promotions.com
Adela Flores-Brennan, 303-839-1261, afbrennan@cohealthinitiative.org
This statement is attributable to Adela Flores-Brennan, Executive Director of the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative and Coalition Manager for the Protect Our Care Colorado Coalition.
Months of grassroots opposition stalled the current Republican effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act as Monday two more Senators dropped their support for the Senate Better Care Reconciliation Act, depriving it of the votes necessary to move forward. This is a huge victory for the more than 600,000 Coloradans that would lose Medicaid coverage and millions more who would see their health care costs increase if the repeal bill passed, and speaks to the power of democracy when citizens make their voices heard.
Just as Coloradans thought they could breathe a sigh of relief that this threat to our health care is behind us, Senate Leader McConnell is still vowing to hold a vote on a bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act next week, with no replacement plan in place. This plan is a clear abdication of responsibility that will lead to 32 million Americans losing coverage and chaos in our health care system.
Last week we called on Senator Gardner in a letter with 300 signatures from consumer advocacy groups and individuals to publicly affirm that he will reject any bill that:
-
results in millions losing coverage,
-
ends Colorado’s successful Medicaid expansion program,
-
shifts unsustainable costs to the state,
-
caps and cuts Medicaid for the most vulnerable populations,
-
threatens access to health care for the many Coloradans who depend on rural hospitals
Today, we renew our request to Senator Gardner that he reject any attempt at repeal, especially a repeal without a replacement. Our members of Congress should be focused on bipartisan solutions that will protect Coloradans’ health care, not on ways to tear it apart. Senator Gardner has failed to respond to this letter, sent last Thursday. Senator Gardner’s constituents have clamored to hear from him and he owes it to his constituents to publicly state where he stands on these issues.
Whether it is a repeal bill or some other effort, we will continue this fight until there is no longer a threat to the health care of millions of Americans and hundreds of thousands of Coloradans.
Protect Our Care Colorado is a coalition of 48 organizations in Colorado advocating to protect the health care of Coloradans. To learn more about the coalition, visitProtectOurCareCo.org.