Submitted by Conner Sheets, Intern, Government Affairs (GAO)
If you’ve been following the news lately then you know that the efforts of Senate Republicans to repeal and replace Obamacare have been shut down; what you may not know is how we got to this point.
The recent argument in the Senate over healthcare began with the drafting of the Better Care Reconciliation Act (“BCRA”). The bill attracted controversy over the mystery of its creation and the large number of Americans that would go without care if the bill were to become law. When we heard that Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell planned to bring the BCRA to a Senate vote, BAYADA Home Healthcare mobilized. Employees, clients, and families sent over 125,000 emails and placed over 600 phone calls to key Senators. In the end, McConnell decided he didn’t have the needed votes and we took a collective deep breath.
Unfortunately, the peace did not last long. The Senate voted to bring three pieces of legislation to the debate floor: an edited BCRA, a “repeal now, replace later” bill, and a “skinny repeal” that got rid of some parts of Obamacare without removing the legislation completely. Millions of clients currently receiving services under Medicaid would be harmed by any of these bills, so BAYADA wasted no time in mobilizing once again. Over the course of two-and-a-half days, BAYADA employees, clients, and supporters sent an astonishing 69,000 emails to key Senators! One by one, the three bills failed in the Senate.
There is no doubt that the incredible movement of BAYADA and our friends played a role in protecting Medicaid during this debacle. Whether you are a Democrat, a Republican or an Independent, the issue was simple – save the Medicaid program and the services that we know are crucial to the health and well-being of so many of our clients and caregivers. We’d like to thank each of every one of those who took action and helped protect the lives of Medicaid clients everywhere. Your efforts are making sure the government stays a government “by the people, for the people”.
