Statement of Robert Restuccia, executive director of Community Catalyst, in response to this morning’s Senate vote to defeat repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA)

 (BOSTON, MA) — “The Senate’s failure to dismantle the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is a victory for tens of millions of Americans whose health care has been saved. It is a victory for the children, seniors and people living with disabilities whose ability to live independent, productive lives was threatened by proposed cuts to the Medicaid program that empowers them to do so. It is a victory for anyone with a preexisting condition who faced an uncertain future in which insurance would be unattainable. And it is a victory for all people who called, wrote, marched and attended town halls to make their voice heard that passing the GOP repeal bill was simply unacceptable.

We thank the 51 senators who voted to against this terrible bill. And we are deeply grateful for the months of hard work national, state and local organizations and people across the country put in to defeat this disastrous bill. While we hope this is the end of the road for repeal of the ACA, we know challenges lie ahead. Continued efforts to repeal the law, impede enrollment and gut Medicaid will be met with fierce resistance every step of the way.

“It is time for Congress to stop looking backward at the 2010 passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Members should look forward and work in a bipartisan fashion to make the ACA and health care better for everyone in our country by expanding coverage, lowering out-of-pocket costs, addressing inequities, tackling prescription drug prices and improving the quality of care.

“Community Catalyst and our allies across the country will continue to fight to expand access to care, make coverage more affordable, lower health care costs, and promote equity in our health system. And we will remain engaged and vigilant to protect people from any future efforts to undermine their care or access to treatment.”

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About Community Catalyst
Community Catalyst is a national, non-profit consumer advocacy organization founded in 1998 with the belief that affordable quality health care should be accessible to everyone. We work in partnership with national, state and local organizations, policymakers, and philanthropic foundations to ensure consumer interests are represented wherever important decisions about health and the health system are made: in communities, courtrooms, statehouses and on Capitol Hill. For more information, visit www.communitycatalyst.org. Read our blog at http://blog.communitycatalyst.org. Follow us on Twitter @healthpolicyhub.