House Passes Cruel Health Care Legislation, With Devastating Impact on Women and Families

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 4, 2017
Contact: Christie Petrone, 646-520-3504, [email protected]

Statement by National Institute for Reproductive Health President Andrea Miller

“By ramming through the horrendous American Health Care Act (AHCA), the U.S. House of Representatives has launched a cruel attack on the health and well-being of women and families that is destined to create chaos in our nation’s health care system.

“This misguided vendetta against the Affordable Care Act (ACA) disproportionately harms low-income communities and communities of color. Women, in particular, would experience the devastating impact of the expansion of abortion coverage restrictions, defunding of Planned Parenthood, and cuts to Medicaid services like cancer prevention and treatment, family planning, and maternity care.

“The AHCA would undermine access to reproductive health care by potentially allowing insurers to drop coverage for services like pregnancy, maternity, and newborn care; denying the protections of women’s preventive health services to women covered through Medicaid expansion; and essentially imposing a nationwide ban on private insurance coverage of abortion – thereby extending the reach of the Hyde Amendment’s unfair ban on coverage for low-income women and others who receive their health insurance through the federal government. Adoption of the AHCA would have a devastating impact not just on women’s health care, but also on their and their families’ economic stability as they struggle to afford coverage and services previously available under the ACA.

“The National Institute for Reproductive Health and the women of this nation will not be deterred by the House’s extreme agenda and we strongly urge the Senate to stand with the people across the country who depend on the ACA and prevent this draconian bill from becoming law. At the same time, we continue to pro-actively work with states across the country — including NY, MA, and IL – to embed protections for coverage of abortion and contraception in their state laws.”

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The National Institute for Reproductive Health (NIRH) builds power at the state and local levels to change public policy, galvanize public support, and normalize women’s decisions about abortion and contraception.