Today is the Final Healthcare Showdown — Here's What to Do

Today is D-day for saving the ACA and preventing the disaster for women, mothers, and children that, in various forms, has been known as “Trumpcare.”

The New York Times reports:

WASHINGTON — Senate Republican leaders, trying to keep alive their flagging effort to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, are barreling toward a showdown vote Tuesday to begin debate on repealing the health law, but senators have yet to be told precisely what legislation they will even be debating.

Apparently short of votes even to begin that process, President Trump ratcheted up pressure for Republican senators to get on board…

Here’s an explanation from Vox that is even more alarming:

Nobody knows what they’re voting on. Nobody knows if it can pass. Nobody is even sure if the Senate’s plan to repeal and replace Obamacare, as a policy, can even work.

It is a bewildering state of affairs — and health insurance for millions of poor and middle-class Americans hangs in the balance.

… Senate leaders are promising to vote within the next 36 hours, without a workable bill, a final Congressional Budget Office score, or perhaps even the votes to pass anything.

Kveller readers, are you wondering what to do in the midst of all this apparent chaos?

The pro-choice doctor’s group Physicians for Reproductive Health sent me an email has a few excellent recommendations:

—Call your Senators. Flood your Senators’ offices with calls demanding that your Senators reject the health care repeal bill. Share your stories about why it’s so important to protect health care. Call (202) 224-3121 for the Congressional Switchboard to reach your Senators. [Ed note: And try https://5calls.org/ as well.]

—Attend health care rallies. Visit http://ourlivesontheline.org to get info about the health care events happening in DC and around the country on July 29th.

—Be visible on social media. Use the hashtags #OurLivesOnTheLine, #ProtectOurCare, and #RejectRepeal and tweet at your Senators or post on their Facebook pages.

Personally, I also recommend that you Follow @littlelobbyists on Twitter to see how families with medically challenged and disabled kids are standing up for Medicaid.

#littlelobbyists standing in solitary with all those fighting for healthcare. Thank you @NationalADAPT @DCAdapt !! pic.twitter.com/oWwij5msEf

— Little Lobbyists (@LittleLobbyists) July 24, 2017

Sarah M. Seltzer

Sarah Seltzer, former editor for Kveller, is a writer and editor in New York City. She is a journalist covering culture, activism and gender, most recently as Deputy Editor at culture website Flavorwire.com. Her print and online work has appeared in publications including Poets & Writers, The Forward, Lilith, The Washington Post, Ms. Magazine, The New York Times, Salon, The Nation, The Wall Street Journal, Jezebel, The Hairpin, Refinery29, The Toast, Rolling Stone, and many more. She is a graduate of Harvard University, where she edited The Crimson’s weekend magazine, as well as the MFA in writing program at Vermont College of Fine Arts. Her first baby, Mikey, is growing up way too fast and she can objectively report that he is very cute. You can follow her at @sarahmseltzer and reach her at sarah@kveller.com.