The Latest on the Republican "Healthcare" Bill

From a friend, which I am sharing here with permission:

I had thought that the "repeal and replace Obamacare" bill (American Health Care Act) would pretty much only screw the self-insured, but no. Under the new MacArthur Amendment version of the AHCA, currently-mandated lifetime and annual out-of-pocket caps on employer-based plans can be waived, and states can waive essential health benefits for employer-based plans too.

If you have healthcare through your employer, this means you. Your employer plan could, for instance, decline to cover pregnancy/maternity or emergency care.

It does make a difference to call/fax your congressperson's staff and ask them to vote no on this bill. They hope to vote Wednesday.

Find your representative.

You can also fax your rep for free via internet at FaxZero.

This is a big deal. I did a quick thread on this issue last night on Twitter, with an emphasis on what this means for fat people, in particular, because of a major development since the Affordable Care Act, and its provision on preexisting conditions, was implemented:

Note that whether to cover preexisting conditions is one of the things that would be left to the states in the current plan. https://t.co/n5yf0w3JRX

— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) May 1, 2017

Reminder: Since the passage of Obamacare, the AMA declared obesity "a disease." https://t.co/QTON0kmkNO

— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) May 2, 2017

That means that everything which can be attributed to weight will be "a preexisting condition."

— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) May 2, 2017

And EVERYTHING is attributed to weight when you're fat. Fat people die because of this now. Deadly ailments chalked up to fatness.

— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) May 2, 2017

There are studies on fat prejudice among healthcare providers. It is also my personal experience. Fat as "preexisting condition" will kill.

— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) May 2, 2017

There are of course many other issues here. But the AMA's decision has created a special and new circumstance for fat folks.

— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) May 2, 2017

Employer-sponsored health plans are already no picnic for fat folks, given that "wellness programs" are enabling companies to find ways to penalize fat employees if they don't lose weight, irrespective of their ability to do so or their actual health. And this is only going to gut care for fat people even further.

Disabled people, people who have survived cancer, people with congenital heart defects (like Jimmy Kimmel's son), and lots of other people could also suddenly find themselves without coverage for their urgent healthcare needs, even through a workplace plan.

This is unconscionable.

The GOP leadership is still short on the votes they need to pass this reprehensible garbage. Keep calling. Keep faxing. Keep registering your opposition to this nightmare.

#RESIST.