Tell Governor & House Dems to Reject Trumpcare Bill Today!

Urgent Action — Tell Gov. Cooper & House Democrats to reject the NC Trumpcare bill that risks care for people with pre-existing conditions. The Governor has until Monday, August 26 to sign the bill or issue a veto. If he does nothing, it will pass into law in 10 days without his signature. This Republican-sponsored bill undermines patient protections and increases costs for those with pre-existing conditions. Gov. Cooper does not approve of the bill but needs to know we can sustain a veto. Key legislators need to hear from all of us calling for a veto of SB86. Call and write TODAY.

Background: Why Gov. Cooper should veto SB 86 “Small Business Health Care Act” & House Democrats Should Sustain that Veto

The Small Business Health Care Act (S.B. 86) would follow in the footsteps of the Trump administration to loosen restrictions on Association Health Plans (AHPs), threatening to undermine critical patient protections of the Affordable Care Act and increase health insurance costs for people with pre-existing conditions in need of comprehensive care.

Not only can these plans offer bare-bones benefits, they can also charge higher premiums based on gender, age and geography. These dangerous plans make premiums for ACA coverage more expensive for people with pre-existing conditions by cherry-picking young and healthy people into AHPs.

If the goal is to increase access to health insurance coverage and lower premiums, why not expand Medicaid for over 500,000 North Carolinians instead?

ACTION: Email Gov. Cooper through this online form. Or call the Governor’s Office at (919) 814-2000.

Sample message:

I ask that you VETO the Small Business Health Care Act (S.B. 86).

This bill would INCREASE premiums for ACA-compliant health insurance coverage and therefore hurt people with pre-existing conditions. A better path forward would be expanding Medicaid, which would lower premiums for private health insurance coverage. There’s no reason to advance a bill that increases the cost of health insurance for people with pre-existing conditions, especially when the opportunity to close the coverage gap and bring home billions of federal dollars is sitting right in front of us.

Under SB 86, AHPs could form easily without complying with critical patient protections, allowing them to offer more bare-bones coverage. Unlike plans on the small group insurance market, AHPs can also charge higher premiums to businesses based on their workers’ gender, rural geography, industry and occupation. They can also charge higher rates based on workers’ age, far beyond the allowed levels under the Affordable Care Act.

S.B. 86 would undermine the ACA by pulling young and healthy workers out of the fully regulated health insurance risk pools, leaving health coverage for people with pre-existing conditions and others who need it more expensive.

Please VETO S.B. 86 and please work to ensure we close the coverage gap.

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ACTION: Email or call House Dems who voted Yes on SB86.

Email Brewer; Brockman; Clark; Clemmons; Farmer-Butterfield; Floyd; Garrison; Harris; Hawkins; Hunt; Hunter; Majeed; Meyer; Montgomery; Pierce; Queen; Russell; B. Turner; Wray.

In WNC, contact Rep. Brian Turner (District 116, Buncombe) at Brian.Turner@ncleg.net, 919-715-3012, and Rep. Joe Sam Queen (District 119, Haywood, Jackson, Swain) at Joe.Queen@ncleg.net, 919-715-3005.

Sample message:

The possibility of sustaining a veto on S.B. 86 “Small Business Health Care Act” rests largely with you.

This bill would INCREASE premiums for ACA-compliant health insurance coverage therefore hurt people with pre-existing conditions. A better path forward would be expanding Medicaid, which would lower premiums for private health insurance coverage. Senate Bill 86 not only undermines critical patient protections in the ACA, but it also threatens NC’s chance to expand Medicaid. 

Some supporters of S.B.86 have already begun to co-opt language of “closing the coverage gap” with this detrimental bill. Senate Bill 86 does nothing to close the coverage gap and only expands access to bare-bones health insurance coverage with high-out-of-pocket costs. 

There’s no reason to allow wholly inadequate coverage for North Carolina patients when the opportunity to close the coverage gap and bring home billions of federal dollars is sitting right in front of us.

I urge you to reconsider your support of S.B. 86.

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