Healthcare Reform: 5 Things You Need To Know

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Advocacy Blog
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It’s been a busy week in Washington, D.C. Here are the 5 things you need to know:

1. Goodbye BCRA

On Monday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said that the Senate would not vote on the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA). Four republican Senators – Sens. Susan Collins (ME), Rand Paul (KY), Mike Lee (UT) and Jerry Moran (KS) – announced that they would not vote for BCRA, preventing Senate leadership from reaching the 51-vote threshold needed for passage. Fight CRC advocates sent over 2,400 emails to the Senate and our voices were heard!

2. ACA Repeal Attempted

But it’s not all good news. Sen. McConnell also said that the Senate would vote instead on a bill that repeals the Affordable Care Act without a replacement. They plan to use a 2015 bill that repeals the ACA and provides a two-year transition period during which Congress would need to come up with a replacement. This bill passed both the House and Senate in 2015, but was vetoed by then-President Obama. This bill would leave 32 million people without insurance and significantly increase the costs for cancer patients.

3. Senate Procedure

The Senate has a very particular way of doing things. Before they can vote on the actual bill, they first must vote to allow debate to begin – also called a “motion to proceed.” This vote will likely take place early next week. If it fails, the Senate is unable to vote on the repeal bill. At this point three senators have declared that they will oppose the repeal-only bill, which is enough to kill the effort. But we can’t take our foot off the gas. We need to keep up the fight! We have another ACTION ALERT to submit. Take action now.

4. What’s next for Congress?

Should the bill fail, there is a lot of uncertainty around what Congress may do next. There are some members of Congress who want to move on from healthcare and start working on issues such as tax reform or infrastructure investment. However, there are others who will want to continue to look for ways to move towards healthcare reform. Fight CRC will continue to monitor these efforts and keep the voice of colorectal cancer patients at the forefront in Washington.

5. What’s next for Fight CRC?

While advocating for healthcare reform that keeps colorectal cancer patients at the center is of utmost importance, we have some other things on our list as well! Throughout the summer and over the next couple of months we are working to beef up and refresh the Congressional Advisory Committee, to strengthen our partnerships in the cancer community, and roll out some new strategies to help move our legislative priorities forward. We will need your help so stay tuned! Sign up for the Advocacy Alerts, it’s critical! In addition, be ready to take action with us in August. Learn more about the upcoming August Recess Challenge.