We Are The Union

A Dangerous Last-Ditch Effort

The Senate is attempting to force through another terrible healthcare bill by the end of next week, while sidelining bipartisan efforts to improve coverage. This bill will impact nearly every American, and it could be voted on before the official review by the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office is even complete. That assessment gives us an indication of the real impact to citizens, overall healthcare costs, and resulting potential impact to the economy. This is a disastrous approach to lawmaking.

There’s a limited amount of time to stop this reckless and rushed bill.

THE LATEST

Senators Lindsay Graham (SC) and Bill Cassidy (LA), along with Senators Heller (NV) and Johnson (WI), are behind the latest proposal (referred to as “Graham-Cassidy”).

• We expect millions of Americans will lose coverage given the similarity to past bills. Not only is this cruel, it will drive up costs for those with insurance as providers try to recoup costs.

• It guts funding for Medicaid, which is critical to the elderly, people with disabilities, and those struggling to get by. Millions of children depend on Medicaid.

• Protections for those with pre-existing conditions are rolled back.

• There will no longer be guaranteed essential benefits in plans, such as hospitalization, mental health coverage, and more.

• Older Americans could get charged up to five times the rates of younger Americans.

• And, to top it all off, while the bill makes tax cuts, the excise tax that will ultimately impact USW members remains.

CRITICAL DATE: September 30

There is a hard push happening in the Senate to pass this bill by the end of next week before the expiration of a budget rule. Until that time, the Senate can pass it with only 50 votes (and a tiebreaker from the vice president). After that point, it becomes much harder to ram through irresponsible legislation.

WHERE THE VOTE STANDS

Senate Leader Mitch McConnell has said that he won’t call for a vote unless he knows he has the support to pass it. A small group of undecided Senators will once again decide the fate of healthcare in the United States.

NEXT STEPS

We will be calling upon USW members in targeted states to reach out to those undecided Senators. But, no matter where you are, you can use our Senate hotline to weigh in against the “Graham/Cassidy” bill.

Dial 877-607-0785, enter your zip code and you will be directed to the correct Senator. Dial a second time to get your other Senator. As always, every call counts!

American Navy in Vietnam

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Anna Netrebko, my favorite

A September 11th Memory