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5 Questions Any #HealthCareVoter Should Ask Congressional Candidates

September 11, 2018

The November 6 mid-term elections are rapidly approaching, and the fate of our healthcare system is at stake. Before voting this November, make sure you know the answers to these five key questions:

Question 1: ACA Repeal

If one of the candidates has been in office for the last two years, did they vote at any point for the efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA)? Does the candidate support efforts to strengthen, rather than weaken, the ACA?

BACKGROUND: In 2017, multiple efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and gut Medicaid made their way through the House and the Senate. These efforts would have stripped millions of Americans of their coverage and endangered critical consumer protections provided by the ACA.Beyond formal repeal, lawmakers have failed to addressing ongoing efforts by the Administration to weaken the Affordable Care Act.

Start your research by checking to see if your House member voted for the American Health Care Act (the first repeal effort) here and check to see if your Senator voted for any of the Senate repeal efforts here.

Question 2: Cuts to Medicaid & Medicare

Does the candidate oppose any cuts or caps to Medicaid or Medicare? 

BACKGROUND: Medicaid and Medicare, which combined provide coverage for over 120 million people nationwide and over 5.6 million in Pennsylvania, have been repeatedly threatened with cuts over the past two years in order to finance tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and large corporations.

Question 3: Medicaid Work Requirements

Does the candidate think that Medicaid recipients should be subject to a work requirement?

BACKGROUND: In Pennsylvania and nationwide, there have been attempts to make back-door cuts to Medicaid by implementing harmful work requirements that would result in people losing coverage while costing the state billions to implement.

Question 4: Pre-existing Conditions & Other Consumer Protections

Where does the candidate stand on defending protections for people with pre-existing conditions and other critical consumer protections established by the ACA?

BACKGROUND: With Texas v. Azar likely heading for the Supreme Court, pre-existing condition protections are back in the spotlight. If these protections were overturned, 130 million Americans and 5.3 millions Pennsylvanians are at risk of returning to a time when people who have conditions like asthma, diabetes, cancer, or high blood pressure could be charged more for insurance or couldn’t get coverage at all.

Question 5: The Affordability Crisis

What policy solutions does the candidate support to address the rising costs of healthcare?

BACKGROUND: For decades, healthcare costs in the US have risen faster than the rate of inflation. Meanwhile, 30% of healthcare spending is estimated to be unnecessary. Increasingly, individuals and families are unable to afford the healthcare they need, even if they have insurance. Innovative policy solutions are needed to address problems like the rising costs of prescription drugs, high-deductible plans, and the overall cost of care.

REMINDER: In order to vote in the mid-terms, you MUST register to vote by October 9th.  If you’re not registered to vote at your current address, you can do so here!