For immediate release: May 5, 2017
Contact: Beulah Osueke at bosueke@powerphiladelphia.org
powerinferfaith.org @powerbeulah
Faith Leaders Call on Senators Pat Toomey and Bob Casey to Save Lives by Rejecting House ACA Repeal Bill
POWER commits itself to protecting health coverage for 956,000 people in Pennsylvania
PHILADELPHIA, PA – The House of Representatives voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act yesterday and allow big insurance companies to opt out of covering pre-existing conditions, maternity care, and mental health. POWER is urging Senators Pat Toomey and Bob Casey to reject the House bill, which would make healthcare more expensive for older and rural Americans, radically restructure Medicaid to lock out millions of families, and give insurers, drug manufacturers, and the wealthy more than $600 billion in tax breaks.
“What does it mean to say that everyone is created ‘In the image of God’ and then be content to let millions of our brothers and sisters go without healthcare or with inadequate health care? Yesterday the House of Representatives failed to put families first. If Senator Pat Toomey and Senator Casey prioritize insurance monopolies and big pharmacies by voting for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, they will have to face the political and moral consequences of their deadly choices,” said Reverend Greg Holston, Executive Director at POWER.
POWER is further committing itself to educating the public about the alarming consequences of ACA repeal and permanent cuts to Medicaid and to ensuring that adequate healthcare for all Pennsylvanians remains in tact.
In a particularly appalling move, Congress Members voting to repeal the ACA exempted themselves from the bill. While 24 million people lose their health insurance, Members of Congress themselves will emerge unscathed with their own health insurance intact.
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POWER is an interfaith organization of more than 40 congregations working to make systemic change for the betterment of the Greater Philadelphia area. For more information, please visit https://powerinterfaith.org
