8924-17 Oppose Attacks on ACA, Medicare, Medicaid

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RESOLUTIONNO. 8924 -17 BY:Anderson, Bullock, Litten, Marx, Nowlin, O'Leary, O'Malley. A RESOLUTION to take effect immediately, provided it receives the affirmative vote of five members of council, or otherwise to take effect and be in force after the earliest period allowed by law, opposing attacks on the Affordable Care Act, Medicare, and Medicaid. WHEREAS, Americans want and deserve health care that enables their children to grow into their full potential, does not force them into impossible choices between receiving lifesaving treatments and medicine and putting food on the table, and makes it possible for our seniors to be fully part of the life of their families and communities; WHEREAS, Comprehensive health benefits are essential to ensuring working families and retirees can get the health care they need, when they need it; WHEREAS, Health insurance should be affordable for all Americans; WHEREAS, Medicare is a promise to the American people that must be kept for current and future generations, including the 55 million seniors and people with disabilities enrolled today and the many millions more counting on it for their retirement; WHEREAS, Turning Medicare into a voucher system will break that promise— benefits would no longer be guaranteed and health care costs for seniors and people with disabilities would rise dramatically; WHEREAS, Health benefits that working people earn on the job are the biggest source of health coverage in the United States, covering 178 million workers, retirees, and their family members; WHEREAS, The Affordable Care Act (ACA) was an important step toward providing comprehensive, affordable health care for all; WHEREAS, The ACA has reduced the share of people without health insurance to historic lows by guaranteeing everyone's right to buy insurance, providing new financial support for buying individual coverage, expanding Medicaid, and encouraging many employers to contribute toward the cost of workers' health benefits; WHEREAS, The ACA's expansion of health benefits has provided much needed help in addressing the opioid addiction crisis; WHEREAS, Repealing the ACA without a replacement will put 30 million people at risk of losing their health benefits entirely and strip away vital protections and benefits from the many millions more with Medicare, Medicaid, and workplace coverage; WHEREAS, More than 74 million people get health benefits through Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP); WHEREAS, Repealing the Affordable Care Act in its entirety will take health benefits away from the approximately 11 million people who gained coverage through that law's Medicaid expansion.