The Clock is Ticking

With only two weeks to go until a scheduled July 4 recess, the Senate continues to work on legislation to repeal and replace parts of the Affordable Care Act. As you know, we’ve urged senators to reject the House-passed American Health Care Act, and focus on protecting health care coverage for Americans.

To amplify our message, the AHA this week joined forces with seven national health care organizations representing hospitals, doctors and patients. Together, we are calling on Americans to contact their senators and appeal to them to reject the AHCA and instead act to protect coverage.

Standing shoulder to shoulder with the AHA in this effort are the AARP, American Diabetes Association, American Medical Association, March of Dimes, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, and Federation of American Hospitals. Yesterday in Cleveland, we held the first of several events asking communities to act now.

Dr. James Misak, vice chair of Community and Population Health for Cleveland’s MetroHealth System, related his experiences with patients who are most vulnerable —including children, seniors, the disabled, and those with pre-existing conditions such as cancer or chronic illnesses. In all, 23 million Americans would lose coverage if the AHCA becomes law.

The clock is ticking in the fight to protect coverage. We implore you to contact your senators – especially Republicans – and encourage them to oppose the AHCA or any similar legislation. The Senate may act in as little as two weeks. Please stand with us as a united front to protect coverage.