Sen. Ron Johnson says he does not support the current Senate Republicans' "American Health Care Act (AHCA)" bill. His aide said (I actually got to talk to a human one day last week when I called) he prefers that the Congress work on two bills - one that would fix problems with the current Affordable Care Act (ACA aka Obamacare) and one that would take longer to produce and be a comprehensive long term bill. You have to wonder what's going on since Johnson has been one of the most vocal and inaccurate (to be kind) critics of the ACA since it was signed into law. And he says he doesn't like this bill because it doesn't do enough to cut subsidies so people can afford health insurance! (His take is that "Obamacare" artificially hiked premiums and priced the wealthy (not eligible for subsidies) out of healthcare. Never mind that premiums were increasing exponentially before the ACA took effect.) But at this point we take what we can get.
Johnson is hosting a telephone town hall on health care on Monday, June 26 at 5:30 p.m. Central time. You must sign up at the link and then precisely at 5:30 p.m. you MUST be able to immediately answer your phone when they call you (not in the bathroom, hanging up clothes, freezing asparagus, or anything that doesn't allow you to immediately answer your phone when THEY CALL YOU.) Then you may or may not (probably the latter) get to ask a question. But the more concerned citizens on the call, the more chance that the overall tone will be "DON'T DO IT!!!"
While you're at it, use the Indivisible Guide to Stop TrumpCare in the Senate to make some more calls every day. Scripts and phone numbers are in the guide. There is also good information about the impact of this regressive gift to the wealthy on each state. We also want to be sure to contact Dem Senators and urge them to withhold consent on all normal Senate business and filibuster by amendment on the repeal bill itself. Even after all the terrible awful rule-breaking things their Republican colleagues have done, some Dems are still unwilling to go the limit opposing this bill.
Currently, there are as may as eight Republican Senators who have said they oppose the bill - most because it's not mean enough and at least one, Maine's Sen. Susan Collins, who didn't get the memo that her party has been taken over by killer zombies and still thinks they actually want to provide health care with this bill. Haha.
This Independent article has rundown of the low points of the Senate's bill with respect to women. (Hey, at least they haven't yet given employers the legal right to fire women who use contraception. At least not in this bill.)
So, every call, letter, and personal exhortation helps no matter where you live.
Oh, yes, this should help the Democrats win over the majority of voters who favor single payer healthcare.
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