Rejecting the Republican Plan to Repeal Patients' Benefits

Rejecting the Republican Plan to Repeal Patients’ Benefits
Last week, in a great victory for the American people, the Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act. Now, instead of passing jobs legislation, House Republicans have vowed to repeal current protections and patients’ rights. The latest poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation shows this isn’t what the American people want.

What repeal means for Californians:

• More than 12 million Californians will lose the peace of mind of having no lifetime limit on their health benefits – a lifetime limit that in the past has caused some families to declare bankruptcy when a serious illness strikes.
• 435,000 young adults under age 26 may lose the coverage on their parents’ health plan that they have received under health reform.
• Almost 3 million seniors will lose the free preventive services they have been using under Medicare.
• More than 300,000 seniors will face an increase in their prescription drug costs.
• Over 1.8 million residents with private insurance will lose $74 million in rebates from insurance companies.
• Over 8,000 people with pre-existing conditions will lose their health coverage, which they are currently receiving under a new Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan.

Congresswoman Pelosi joins fellow Democratic colleagues in a “walk-out” in protest of the House Republicans’ contempt vote against Attorney General Eric Holder.

Moving our Country Forward
Every Congress must have the ability to conduct meaningful, responsible oversight. It is the hallmark of our constitutional democracy that has served us well for more than two centuries. However, last week’s action by House Republicans to hold Attorney General Eric Holder in contempt of Congress betrays this tradition. Instead of focusing on this unnecessary, unprecedented, reckless use of power, the House GOP must join Democrats to work together to move our country forward to greater opportunity, fairness, and prosperity for all Americans.

Standing up for our Democracy
Recently, the Supreme Court struck down an attempt by the state of Montana to limit corporate campaign expenditures, reaffirming the Citizens United ruling that allows special interests to raise and spend unlimited sums of money in political campaigns. The disappointing decision to uphold Citizens United deals yet another blow to a fundamental American value: that the voices of the people determine the outcome of our elections, not the checkbooks of the few.

Democrats are committed to restoring transparency, accountability, openness, and fairness to our political process. Our strategy is simple, we must DARE:

• Disclose and shine a bright light on secret donations;
• Amend the Constitution to overturn the crushing Citizens United ruling;
• Reform the system and empower small donors and the grassroots;
• Elect reform-minded candidates to office.

Please feel free to forward this information to your family and friends. To learn more about these efforts, to express your views, or to sign up for email updates, please visit my website. I am also on Twitter at https://twitter.com/NancyPelosi.