Western Pennsylvania Disability History and Action Consortium

Honoring the historic struggle of Western Pennsylvanians with disabilities to attain human and civil rights.

DONATE


Using Disability History to Ensure Disability Rights

  • Home
  • About
    • Mission, Vision and Objectives
    • Current Projects
    • Steering Committee
    • Advisors
    • Funding
    • Project Director & Staff/Consultants
    • Speakers Bureau
    • Contact
  • Historic Resources
    • Historic Timeline
    • Explore Western Pennsylvania Disability History Collections
    • Explore Pennsylvania Disability History Resources
    • Explore National Disability History Resources
    • Media Items
  • News/Events
    • Press Releases
    • Read Our Archived Newsletters
  • Newsletter Signup
  • Take Our Survey
  • Join/Donate
You are here: Home / Take Action on Disability Rights / Stop the clock from turning back on health care for people with disabilities. Contact your senator about the AHCA.

Stop the clock from turning back on health care for people with disabilities. Contact your senator about the AHCA.

05/18/2017

The American Health Care Act (AHCA) passed May 4 by the House of Representatives has deeply alarmed the disability community, particularly in four key areas.

  • The bill cuts $880 billion from Medicaid over 10 years—that’s a 25 percent cut—and fundamentally changes Medicaid by imposing a per capita cap, meaning a per-person limit on benefits.
  • Special education could lose out. School systems receive an estimated $4 billion a year from Medicaid to fund special education services including medical equipment and physical, speech, and behavioral therapy, according to the AASA, the School Superintendents Association.
  • The AHCA greatly weakens protections for those with pre-existing conditions.
  • The bill allows states to waive the requirement that health plans cover “essential benefits.” This threatens coverage for rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices along with mental, behavioral, and substance abuse therapy.

ACHIEVA, a supporter of the Consortium, recently shared a video made by The Arc of the United States showing the personal stories of those affected by the proposed changes. Watch it here, and learn more about ACHIEVA here.

The AHCA bill moves to the Senate next. Contact your Senators to tell them what you think. 

Sources:

www.disabilityscoop.com/2017/05/04/house-health-alarming-advocates/23666/
www.nytimes.com/2017/05/03/us/politics/health-bill-medicaid-special-education-affordable-care-act.html
www.aarp.org/politics-society/advocacy/info-2017/effects-of-repealing-health-care-bill-fd.html
www.mediamatters.org/research/2017/05/05/ahca-even-worse-youve-read/216311
www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2017/05/ahca-disappointment.aspx

Filed Under: Take Action on Disability Rights

Western Pennsylvania Disability History and Action Consortium
412-204-7199 / [email protected]

Sign up for our newsletter

The Consortium is an affiliate of Senator John Heinz History Center that works in coordination with multiple disability organizations and advocates in Western PA. In cooperation with ACHIEVA and the Institute on Disabilities at Temple University.

Find us on Facebook Find us on YouTube

Using Disability History to Ensure Disability Rights

Copyright by Western Pennsylvania Disability History and Action Consortium. All rights reserved.