Women’s health care and economic security are inextricably linked; without access to high quality, affordable health care, economic security becomes much more difficult to obtain. Read more about how the Affordable Care Act repeal bill would affect women here.
Tell our Congressional delegation they should oppose any health care proposal that:
- Fails to keep the Medicaid structure in place: Medicaid in Nebraska currently covers 230,000 Nebraskans, most of whom are women, children, seniors, and people with disabilities — people who need coverage the most. The federal government is trying to reduce its funding commitment at the expense of states taking on an additional, higher share of costs.
- Discriminates against women: Before the ACA, a cesarean delivery, a history of breast or cervical cancer, and medical treatment for domestic or sexual violence could be treated as pre-existing conditions by insurance companies. The Senate bill allows states to set their own Essential Health Benefits (EHBs), which means we could see this kind of discrimination again. We must not allow our health care system to return to those discriminatory policies.
- Ends the option to expand Medicaid: Thousands of low income Nebraskans remain locked out of our system. Expanding Medicaid is an effective way to provide health insurance to them. There are more than 93,000 women in Nebraska with no health insurance. Our healthcare system cannot function effectively until everyone is covered.
- Reduces coverage for Nebraskans: Financial assistance provided by the Affordable Care Act helped more than 84,000 Nebraskans buy insurance in the latest enrollment period. Women tend to make less than men and are more likely to live in poverty. Repealing the ACA’s federal financial assistance jeopardizes women’s health care and economic security. People who have gained insurance as a result of the ACA must remain insured. Preexisting conditions must still be covered across the nation.
[1] 2014 American Community Survey, five-year estimates