Dear CSWA Members,
There has been an unexpected development since Friday when Sen. McConnell had announced his intention to vote on the BCRA to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act tomorrow.
Sen. McCain has had surgery for a blood clot above his left eye which will mean he cannot attend the Senate this week. This means that the vote on BCRA is more fragile than it had been, though Sen. McCain's vote was not a certain yes or no.
We have a little time to work on stopping this bad bill. Please continue to call your Governors and Senators to let them know you oppose it.
ADDITIONALLY - ask the senators who are no votes (all Democrats, Ron Paul and Susan Collins) or leaning no to come together as a group to request a new process - that the bill get bipartisan support to receive the thoughtful open transparent process it deserves.
lease review the issues which I sent out in my posts of June 12 and June 19 which detail how these bills are harmful to people with mental health needs including the possible loss of essential benefits, including mental health and substance use for states who choose waivers to Medicaid; the extreme cuts to Medicaid, with the bulk of lost insurance being people covered by Medicaid; and the end of required coverage for pre-existing conditions for state that choose waivers for Medicaid.
Also – please call Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) to thank her for her principled opposition to this bill at (202) 224-2523.
The main political issue is whether there are three senators willing to vote against this deeply flawed bill. We need to continue to oppose this bill with the senators who are wavering on their vote, mainly the more moderate Republicans.
Here is the message I am suggesting with the contact information for these Senators:
Call these Senators today to ask them to oppose the AHCA without protections for substance use disorders and mental health.
A list of key decision-making Senators to call is below:
Sample call script:
I am a constituent [if you are] and a member of the Clinical Social Work Association. Please oppose the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017. Please join with other Senators who have concerns about this bill and develop a bipartisan group to give it the thoughtful open transparent process it deserves. [Your name, degree, contact information]
If you wish to contact other Republican Senators, you can do so by going to https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm where you will find all the phone numbers for U.S. Senators.
One other way to oppose this bill is to contact your Governor and ask your Governor to let your state’s senators know that your Governor opposes this bill. The same message can be used.
As always, let me know when you have sent messages.
Please view our Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, Terms of Use and Refund/Cancellation Policy.
PO Box 105Granville, Ohio 43023
