Republicans in the House of Representatives on Thursday voted to repeal the health care of 24 million people. The only people celebrating are the politicians who have put party above constituents, and advanced a giant tax giveaway for corporations and the super-rich.
These politicians voted to kill the people they are supposed to represent. We must never let them forget that vote. We must make them regret it every day of their lives.
There’s no overstating the cruelty they’ve perpetrated or damage they will cause.
Trumpcare doesn’t just roll back the Affordable Care Act by cutting support for coverage, in ways that hit those who are older, poorer, and live in rural areas the hardest. It doesn’t just end the nationwide protections that bar insurance companies from jacking up premiums based on health status or denying coverage of essential care.
It also dismantles Medicaid, which now covers about 74 million people across the country. It strips more than $800 billion from the program and ends the guarantee that it will be funded according to need.
This is Trumpcare’s most radical component, and the one that will do the most to make our health care system even more unequal in terms of both money and race.
The Affordable Care Act extended Medicaid to an additional 11 million people. Trumpcare will end that and take the entire program apart, piece by piece. Millions of people who finally started getting health care will see that all taken away.
But they’re not the only ones affected. We all count on Medicaid. We count on it for long-term care for our parents. We count on it for asthma treatment for children, for diabetes care and cancer screenings, and for support that helps people with disabilities live independently. Medicaid also keeps rural hospitals afloat and is a mainstay in small communities that insurance companies avoid.
Of course, 130 million of us also stand to lose the guarantees the Affordable Care Act put in place to protect us from discrimination for pre-existing conditions. And millions more will be forced to pay more for less care, all while the ultra-wealthy and corporations get tax breaks.
We have to make politicians pay the highest price for their morally repugnant vote.
Every life that’s lost, every treatment missed, every pill skipped, every dollar of medical debt sent to a collection agency is now their moral responsibility. It is on their heads.
We, their constituents, will have to hold them accountable — starting with the congressional recess from now through May 15, and continuing to 2018 and beyond. Here’s how we do that:
● Educate ourselves about what this disastrous bill does and inoculate ourselves against the lies Republicans will tell about it.
There are some great resources about the costs of Trumpcare. The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities has this roundup of the Medicaid cuts, other costs, and tax cuts for multi-millionaires. Learn about premium surcharges for pre-existing conditions, the number of people with pre-existing conditions by congressional district, and estimates of how many will lose coverage by district. And here are estimates of cost increases by state.
● Talk to others about what’s at stake.
Let people know what Trumpcare really does. But remember to talk about the moral stakes — which are really life and death. Are we a country that believes people should be left to die because they don’t have “enough” money, suffer an illness, or weren’t born in the “right place”? Or do we believe health care is important for our hometowns and should be something that all people can count on?
● Put your member of Congress on notice that their days in office are numbered.
Let your representative know their vote is not acceptable and never will be. This bill has been deeply unpopular from the very start, and they have put party and corporate interests above the people. Make sure they know you will call your friends, educate your neighbors and canvass the streets in your hometown to remove your congressperson. There’s no room in Congress for a politician who doesn’t care whether we live or die. You will replace that politician with someone who does.
● Let your senator know that they must kill this bill before it kills us.
The House vote isn’t the end of this fight. Now the bill goes to the Senate, where we will fight with everything we’ve got. Tell your senator that your hometown depends on health care — and that, in your hometown, you, your family, and your friends and neighbors care about each other and will fight to prove it all the way to the ballot box.
Help us Prepare for Trump’s Day One
Trump is busy getting ready for Day One of his presidency – but so is Truthout.
Trump has made it no secret that he is planning a demolition-style attack on both specific communities and democracy as a whole, beginning on his first day in office. With over 25 executive orders and directives queued up for January 20, he’s promised to “launch the largest deportation program in American history,” roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, and implement a “drill, drill, drill” approach to ramp up oil and gas extraction.
Organizations like Truthout are also being threatened by legislation like HR 9495, the “nonprofit killer bill” that would allow the Treasury Secretary to declare any nonprofit a “terrorist-supporting organization” and strip its tax-exempt status without due process. Progressive media like Truthout that has courageously focused on reporting on Israel’s genocide in Gaza are in the bill’s crosshairs.
As journalists, we have a responsibility to look at hard realities and communicate them to you. We hope that you, like us, can use this information to prepare for what’s to come.
And if you feel uncertain about what to do in the face of a second Trump administration, we invite you to be an indispensable part of Truthout’s preparations.
In addition to covering the widespread onslaught of draconian policy, we’re shoring up our resources for what might come next for progressive media: bad-faith lawsuits from far-right ghouls, legislation that seeks to strip us of our ability to receive tax-deductible donations, and further throttling of our reach on social media platforms owned by Trump’s sycophants.
We’re preparing right now for Trump’s Day One: building a brave coalition of movement media; reaching out to the activists, academics, and thinkers we trust to shine a light on the inner workings of authoritarianism; and planning to use journalism as a tool to equip movements to protect the people, lands, and principles most vulnerable to Trump’s destruction.
We urgently need your help to prepare. As you know, our December fundraiser is our most important of the year and will determine the scale of work we’ll be able to do in 2025. We’ve set two goals: to raise $136,000 in one-time donations and to add 1440 new monthly donors by midnight on December 31.
Today, we’re asking all of our readers to start a monthly donation or make a one-time donation – as a commitment to stand with us on day one of Trump’s presidency, and every day after that, as we produce journalism that combats authoritarianism, censorship, injustice, and misinformation. You’re an essential part of our future – please join the movement by making a tax-deductible donation today.
If you have the means to make a substantial gift, please dig deep during this critical time!
With gratitude and resolve,
Maya, Negin, Saima, and Ziggy