This week, the Senate will vote on the Graham-Cassidy bill—yet another attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and quite possibly the worst one yet. Devastating cuts to Medicaid will end the program as we know it, and take away coverage from millions of people. States will be able opt out of protecting patients with pre-existing conditions and ensuring that plans include essential health benefits like maternity care. Planned Parenthood, a lifesaving preventive health provider, will be defunded. And extreme abortion restrictions will mean that even private insurance plans will be unlikely to cover it.
Throughout the nearly 250 days of the Trump administration, we’ve been collecting stories from patients and providers about the impact access to reproductive health care—or lack of access to reproductive health care—has had for their lives through the Voices of Courage project. And time and time again, we’ve heard from you that the ACA made all the difference in ensuring that you got the care you needed. We’ve collected some of these stories below. If you have a story about what the ACA has meant for you, we hope you’ll be a Voice of Courage too:
While these are the stories that named the ACA as making a positive impact on reproductive health, there were even more Voices of Courage who, while they didn’t say so explicitly, have benefited from the ACA and who would be devastated if the Graham-Cassidy repeal bill passes. From having access to affordable birth control, to relying on Planned Parenthood for preventive care, to covering the cost of an abortion through private insurance, the reproductive health services Americans rely on every day hang in the balance with this vote. Make a difference: read our ACA stories below, share your own story, and call your senators to let them know what this vote means for you, your patients, your family, or your community.
