In The Politics of Autism, I discuss health care issues and state Medicaid services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Mitch McConnell has postponed the Senate vote on Trumpcare. One reason for the bill's extreme unpopularity is its impact on Medicaid.
ADVOCATES: Keep the pressure on!
The vote on the Better Care Reconciliation Act in the United States Senate has been delayed thanks to advocates like you who wrote to #SaveMedicaid. Autism Speaks has serious concerns with changes the bill would make to Medicaid, the single most important insurance program for people on the spectrum. Please contact your Senators and ask them to ensure that services are not cut for children and adults with autism.
Please SHARE this post with your friends and family and let us know you've contacted your senator in the comments below.The Autistic Self-Advocacy Network is often at odds with Autism Speaks, but they are on the same side this time:
https://act.autismspeaks.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=241
Your advocacy is working. After Senators’ offices began to receive a new wave of calls and protesters, the Senate has postponed their vote on the Affordable Care Act repeal bill. This is a good sign – Senators are worried about how this bill looks to the people they represent. But if there’s one thing we’ve learned from fighting this bill in the House, it’s that we need to ramp up the pressure. The politicians working to repeal the ACA and destroy Medicaid won’t stop, so neither can we.
This week and next week will decide the future of this bill. The other side will be negotiating, making deals, and doing everything they can to persuade more Senators to vote Yes. We need to make sure our voices are louder than the wheeling and dealing happening behind closed doors.
Here’s what you can do:
Call your Senators and tell them to vote NO. We need to keep up the pressure and flood their offices with calls. You can find your Senators’ office numbers at contactingcongress.org, and use our Civic Engagement Toolkit to help you plan your call/
