FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

November 7, 2018

Contact: Kathy Melley, (617) 791-0708

(BOSTON, MA) – Statement of Diane Felicio, interim executive director of Community Catalyst, regarding the impact of the 2018 election results on people’s health and health care.

“Voters across the U.S. have had enough of the war on their health care, and they made that abundantly clear in yesterday’s election. Health care was a driving force for the electorate, who voted to hand the reins of the House of Representatives to those who have shown a commitment to safeguarding and improving their health care. Voters also approved three ballot initiatives to expand Medicaid and elected a number of governors committed to closing the Medicaid coverage gap in their state. This should be the end of the road for the unpopular GOP agenda to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), strip away protections for pre-existing health conditions, cut Medicaid and thwart Medicaid expansion in the states.

“Families are tired of the uncertainty the steady stream of attacks on health care have injected into their lives. People with pre-existing health conditions like cancer, diabetes and HIV/AIDS fear they won’t be able to get the consistent care and treatment they need to stay healthy. Parents worry that they will lose tax credits that make their coverage affordable for their family. Older adults live with the anxiety they won’t be able to afford their prescription drugs. Women remain deeply concerned about threats to their reproductive health care.

“Today marks a turning point that must shift the health care debate from cynical efforts to undermine people’s health care to solutions that aim to address the health care issues that people are most concerned about – the increased cost of care, spiraling prescription drug prices and persistent disparities in health and health care access. We urge the new leadership in Congress and federal and state policymakers on both sides of the aisle to work with Community Catalyst and the health justice movement to improve access, affordability, and the quality of care as well as people’s health.

“At the same time, continued actions by the Trump administration to sabotage of the ACA, erect barriers to Medicaid coverage, and undermine women’s, immigrants’, and LGBTQ individuals’ health and health care remain a real threat. Such efforts will be met with fierce resistance. Community Catalyst and our allies throughout the country stand ready to organize, activate, and mobilize to protect the health and health care of all people across the nation.”

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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, statehouses and on Capitol Hill. Headquartered in Boston, Community Catalyst has offices in Washington, DC, Atlanta, New York, Pittsburgh and St. Louis. For more information, visit www.communitycatalyst.org. Follow us on Twitter @HealthPolicyHub.