Nevadans Rally Outside Sen. Heller’s Reno Office Urging Him to Oppose ACA Repeal
MEDIA ADVISORY FOR: Tuesday, May 9, 2017
CONTACT: Yasmina Dardari | 407-922-8149 | yasmina@unbendablemedia.com
TODAY 11AM: Nevadans Rally Outside Sen. Heller’s Reno Office Urging Him to Oppose ACA Repeal
UltraViolet to Heller: “Trumpcare Attacks Women, Don’t Take Our Health Care”
RENO, NEVADA – Today, Tuesday, May 9th, local Reno residents and members of UltraViolet, a national women’s advocacy organization, will rally outside Senator Dean Heller’s office urging him to oppose the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. The action comes after Republicans in the House of Representatives passed the American Health Care Act last week in the beginning of their effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Sen. Heller will be a key vote in the Senate’s decision to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.
The action will feature signs reading: “Trumpcare attacks women” and “Don’t take our health care.”
WHEN: TODAY, Tuesday, May 9th. 11:00am Local Time
WHERE: Senator Heller’s Reno Office. 400 S Virginia St # 738, Reno, NV 89501
LOCAL CONTACT: Marty Ann McGarry, 775-690-3913
Experts warn that the American Health Care Act may result in a loss of health insurance for around 24 million people and undermine protections for those with pre-existing conditions. Time gaps in insurance coverage would force many to pay large penalties over the next year, making quality coverage more difficult to attain. The legislation would also ban Medicaid patients from using their insurance at Planned Parenthood clinics and disallow individuals from using tax credits to purchase health insurance plans that cover abortion.
Experts also warn that the American Health Care Act is an attack on survivors of sexual violence. Without the protections of the Affordable Care Act, surviving sexual assault or domestic violence will essentially become pre-existing medical conditions and under the Republican plan, insurance companies can charge outrageous premiums for basic services that are currently guaranteed.
Shaunna Thomas, co-founder of UltraViolet explained:
“Last week’s vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act was a declaration of war on women. With that vote, Republicans inched closer to bringing women back to a time before reproductive health care access and affordable health care coverage.
“The American Health Care Act will quite literally cost hundreds of thousands of women their lives, by eliminating guaranteed coverage of life-saving cervical and breast cancer screenings, abolishing comprehensive maternity care and domestic violence screenings, ‘defunding’ Planned Parenthood, limiting women’s access to birth control and emergency contraception, and experts say it would even make sexual assault and domestic violence pre-existing conditions. For women and their families, the benefits provided by the Affordable Care Act are an indispensable lifeline that have allowed them to safeguard their health and plan their families to secure their economic prosperity.
“But the GOP healthcare plan is more than just an assault on women, it is the beginnings of a serious national healthcare crisis—one which will cut off millions of Americans from health insurance coverage. The Republican American Health Care Act will make it impossible for states to continue Medicaid expansion and sets the stage for deep cuts to medicaid funding for seniors, low-income families, and children. The plan would increase healthcare costs, make coverage less affordable for all Americans, and spell disaster for those with pre-existing conditions—giving the wealthiest tax-cut bonuses while the average American suffers.
“Repealing the Affordable Care Act and replacing it with the Republican plan isn’t a solution, it’s an impending crisis for millions of Americans who can’t afford to lose their healthcare. Senator Heller must oppose this bill and protect Nevada families.
Nevada has nearly 300,000 residents who have received health insurance through the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion and nearly 18,000 patients who have received care at Nevada’s three Planned Parenthood centers in 2016.
Earlier this year, UltraViolet launched a video ad campaign in Nevada urging Senator Dean Heller to oppose the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, urging Nevada residents to call Heller’s office and tell him to oppose the plan. The video ad, which ran on The Las Vegas Sun’s website, featured Reno residents Theresa Bohannan and Briant Gibb, the mother and father of a toddler, Dean, who was born with a congenital heart defect. In the video, Bohannan and Gibb discussed how the Affordable Care Act has been a lifesaver for her son and that replacing it with the Republican plan – the American Health Care Act – would be a disaster for their family, and other Nevada families, who rely on coverage from the ACA.
SEE THE AD HERE: https://youtu.be/MfHyUoia3RU
Read more stories from UltraViolet members who rely on the Affordable Care Act for health insurance coverage. Each poster is available to talk to media about their stories: http://cantaffordtolose.com
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UltraViolet is an online community of over 1,000,000 women and men who want to take collective action to expose and fight sexism in the public sector, private sector and the media. Find out more at WeAreUltraViolet.org.