Senate Republicans are working to dismantle the Affordable Care Act through new health care reform policy that has, thus far, been deeply unpopular.
The bill, titled the Better Care Reconciliation Act, proposes extensively slashing Medicaid funding, which is the single largest payer for several health services in the country. It also allows states to waive essential health benefits, which means addiction treatment and maternity care may not be included in some health plans. Vulnerable groups like children and seniors could also be dramatically affected, according to medical and mental health organizations, which have widely criticized the plan.
The current proposal for health care reform could leave approximately 22 million people without coverage, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is reportedly working on an updated draft to send to the CBO this week so they can vote on legislation before an August recess.
In response, Twitter users decided to give their representatives a little education on what that lack of coverage would actually mean for individual citizens by sharing their stories of how the ACA benefitted them using the hashtag #HowTheACASavedMyLife.
The hashtag gained traction after organizers of the Women’s March on Washington encouraged people to share their experiences with the ACA.
Not only does affordable, comprehensive health care give people access to the vital care they need, from therapy appointments to oncology consultations, it also helps make crucial medications more affordable. And, simply put, not having coverage puts people’s lives at risk: A study from 2009 showed that 45,000 people per year died due to lack of health insurance.
Below are a few tweets that perfectly explain how their current health coverage from the ACA helped them or their loved ones manage their illnesses:
