Protect Ohioans’ healthcare
Dear Congressman Renacci,
We are writing to urge you not to take away the access to healthcare upon which millions of Ohioans depend. As workers and retirees, parents and caregivers, people with disabilities, and healthcare advocates and providers, we approach this issue from a range of experiences and perspectives. But there is one thing we can all say with certainty: Ohioans cannot afford lawmakers who will work to weaken and undermine our ability to get the care we need.
July is an important month in the history of our work to make sure all Americans can get care. It was this month in 1965 that President Lyndon B. Johnson signed Medicare into law, expanding care to tens of millions of Americans, including more than 2 million beneficiaries here in Ohio today. We should be working to strengthen and protect that care, not — as you have done in the past — trying to cut, shrink, or voucherize this crucial program. We are calling on you today to reconsider your support for these misguided policies that only stand to hurt Ohio families.
This month is also a pivotal moment in our ongoing work to make sure each of us can access and afford high-quality care. Under the Affordable Care Act, 5 million Ohioans are protected from being denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition. Currently, 20 states and the Department of Justice are working overtime against the recommendations of doctors and healthcare providers to undermine this guarantee. While the State of Ohio has stood on the right side of history and chosen not to join this devastating attack on Ohioans’ healthcare, you have declined to say whether you would continue to protect coverage for Ohioans with pre-existing conditions. Now is the time for political courage; we urge you to take a stand against this lawsuit that would roll back the clock and jeopardize Ohioans’ healthcare access.
Protecting access to healthcare for all Ohioans means making healthcare available for children, for working families, and for people struggling with addiction. We need to protect tried-and-true programs like the Children’s Health Insurance Program and the Medicaid expansion that has helped so many of us access critical healthcare resources. Previously, you have voted to cut and dismantle these necessary programs. If you are truly dedicated to serving all Ohioans, we ask that today, you pledge not to vote against them again.
For millions across our state, access to affordable healthcare has never been a given. To this day, too many of us struggle to afford treatment and medications. And too often, rather than work to break down barriers or bring down the cost of care, you have taken positions that would push care even further out of reach. Today, we ask that you reconsider this record and commit to standing on the right side of history — working to improve and invest in high-quality healthcare for every Ohioan, not to making it harder than ever to get the care we need.
Will you stand with Ohioans by:
- Opposing efforts to cut or restructure Medicare?
- Speaking out against attempts to roll back coverage for people with pre-existing conditions?
- Refusing to support future attacks on CHIP and Medicaid expansion?
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