Press Release
GOP-Led Healthcare Bill Fails First Legislative Test
The National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health demands policy solutions that prioritize health and access for Latinxs
Washington, D.C. — Today, the vote for the GOP-led Affordable Care Act (ACA) “replacement” bill, the American Health Care Act (AHCA), was canceled in the U.S. House of Representatives. Overall, the AHCA would have stripped an estimated 24 million people from essential healthcare coverage, and rolled back significant coverage gained under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The AHCA included provisions that would defund Planned Parenthood from the Medicaid program and deny people with Medicaid coverage access to their health centers, jeopardizing access to vital reproductive care for Latinxs,* low-income people and communities of color. Furthermore, it would repeal the Essential Health Benefits, without which women are not guaranteed access to necessary healthcare services, such as maternity and newborn care. A fact sheet authored by the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health (NLIRH), National Asian Pacific American Women’s Forum (NAPAWF), In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda, and the National Partnership for Women & Families outlines the harms of this bill specifically on women of color.
Jessica González-Rojas, executive director of the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health, issued the following statement:
“Today we can breathe a sigh of relief that the GOP’s draconian replacement bill failed to win House support and will not advance to the Senate. As it stands, the American Health Care Act (AHCA) is a shameful, short-sighted and disastrous attempt to block people, including millions of Latinas, from the care they need, and falls short of the access to affordable healthcare that millions of patients now have under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The AHCA is not representative of the values we hold as a country. We demand policy solutions that prioritizes the health and well-being of our families and our communities by expanding health coverage, not denying it. NLIRH urges the policymakers to ensure that any changes to the ACA will serve those who need it most, not just the insurance industry and the wealthy.”
For more information on NLIRH’s fight for health, dignity and justice, visit us at latinainstitute.org or follow us on Facebook and Twitter @NLIRH.
* NLIRH, conscious of the importance of gender equity in the production of educational materials, utilizes gender-neutral terms throughout our work. “Latinx” is a term that challenges the gender binary in the Spanish language and embraces the diversity of genders that often are actively erased from spaces.
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The National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health is the only national reproductive justice organization dedicated to building Latina power to advance health, dignity, and justice for 28 million Latinas, their families, and communities in the United States through leadership development, community mobilization, policy advocacy, and strategic communications.
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