To the Editor:
The American Health Care Act that recently passed in the House of Representatives is yet another example of the Republican Party’s disregard for issues of deep concern to women and children.
The AHCA will make women pay more for healthcare than men. Pregnancy would no longer be a required benefit of all healthcare plans. Breast cancer and issues following from assault survival, as just two examples of pre-existing conditions, might not be covered.
The AHCA harms children with special needs. Medicaid funding supplies large proportion of the funds for educating students with special needs. And the AHCA states that schools may no longer be counted as Medicaid providers.
The AHCA targets an important source of affordable health care for women and children, because it denies Planned Parenthood the support of Medicaid reimbursements and of family planning grants from the federal government.
All of these provisions would have an immediate impact, not only on women who are working hard to provide for their families, but of course it also impacts the children who live in those families.
But the AHCA DOES provide billions in tax breaks for the wealthy.
One can only urge the Senators on both sides of the aisle to look after the interests of all of their constituents, including the most vulnerable.
Please hold your representatives accountable if they voted for this bill.
Sincerely,
Kira Stevens, Susan Marafino, Krista Ingram, Deborah Zahn and Susan Botarelli