What's next at the national level with health care reform?

Protect Our Care Colorado is a coalition managed by the Colorado Consumer Health Initiative

"We still have a chance to stop this tax bill!

Final votes on tax bill are expected early next week. Yesterday, Republicans announced they had reached a compromise bill between the Senate and House tax bills that went to conference committee. This means that both the House and Senate can move for a final vote on this terrible bill, and we're hearing the first vote could happen Monday. Little has changed in the tax bill's overall structure. It actually increases the original tax cuts for the wealthiest 1% and keeps substantial cuts for big multinational corporations permanently, harms low-income and middle-class families by handing them meager tax cuts initially but actually increasing their taxes over time, causes double-digit premium spikes every year and 13 million fewer Americans having health insurance, and adds $1.4 trillion to the deficit over 10 years. It is even clearer now with recent statements from Speaker Paul Ryan and other Republicans that they intend to come back early next year to try to pay for this tax cut by gutting Medicaid, SNAP, and other social investment programs.We need your help telling all of Colorado's Members of Congress the message that this tax heist is bad for Coloradans and that tax cuts for the wealthy shouldn't be financed by eviscerating anti-poverty programs. A lot of people are assuming this tax bill will pass, butreports today indicate there's growing opposition from a few Republicans, so keep calling!

This tax heist:

• Will lead to even more disastrous cuts to health care than we've seen in the devastating Republican health care repeal bills that failed due to enormous public pressure.
• Will disproportionately benefit millionaires and large profitable corporations, not small businesses or the middle-class.
  • 80% of the tax cuts go to the top 1% and big corporations
• Will devastate Colorado's state budget and lead to cuts in state programs and services that help working families get ahead.
• Will hurt Colorado's economy and future by failing to protect the middle class and our health care.

Rather than ensuring Coloradans have the opportunity to earn a good life, this bill serves the well-connected, special interests, and big corporations, not the middle class and those working to pull themselves out of poverty.

Call your Senators and Representative and tell them to oppose this tax scam!

Sen. Gardner -  Denver: (303) 391-5777 DC: (202) 224-5941

Sen. Bennet - Denver: (303) 455-7600 DC: (202) 224- 5852

Rep. Coffman - Aurora (720) 748-7514, DC: (202) 225-7882

Rep. Tipton - Durango: (970) 259-1490, DC: (202) 225-4761

Rep. Buck - Greeley: (970) 702-2136, DC: (202) 225-4676

Rep. Lamborn - CO Springs: (719) 520-0055, DC: (202) 225-4422

Rep. Polis: Boulder - (303) 484-9596, DC: (202) 225-2161

Rep. Perlmutter - Lakewood: (303)274-7944 DC: (202) 225-2645

Rep. DeGette - Denver: (303) 844-4988, DC: (202) 225-4431

Social Media: We are using the hashtags #TrumpTaxScam, #GOPTaxPlan, #GOPTaxScam, and #NotOnePenny to talk about the tax bill.

• @SenCoryGardner Oppose the #GOPTaxPlan that leaves 13 million more uninsured, increases deficit by $1.4 trillion, gives the wealthiest big tax cut while hurting the middle class #TrumpTaxScam
• @SenCoryGardner The ACA provides 600K Coloradans with quality health insurance. Fix it, don’t repeal  through #TrumpTaxScam
• @SenCoryGardner Don't increase the deficit, give 80% of tax cuts to top 1%, or gut the ACA/Medicaid/Medicare to pay for it. #VoteNo on #GOPTaxPlan
• Health care cuts shouldn't be used in the GOP tax heist to cut taxes for the wealthiest 1%, sticking middle-class Americans and future generations with a $1.4 trillion bill over 10 years. #VoteNo on #GOPTaxScam @SenCoryGardner
• @RepMikeCoffman You've said time and again that you are concerned about the deficit. Vote no on #TrumpTaxScam! Don't add $1.4 trillion to deficit. #NotOnePenny
• @RepMikeCoffman Please oppose the #GOPTaxPlan that will increase deficit, give tax cuts to top 1%, and lead to devastating health care cuts.
• @RepTipton Don't increase the deficit, give 80% of tax cuts to top 1%, or gut Medicaid/Medicare to pay for it. #VoteNo on #GOPTaxPlan.
• Don't saddle future generations with another $1.4 trillion in debt from #TrumpTaxScam @RepTipton. And don't use cuts to Medicaid or Medicare as a piggy bank for the wealthiest 1%.
• @RepKenBuck Don't vote for a #GOPTaxPlan that increases the deficit, gives tax cuts to top 1% on the backs of middle-class, or will lead to devastating health care cuts. #NotOnePenny.
• @SenCoryGardner You've said you don't want to increase the deficit. Prove it and #VoteNo on #GOPTaxScam. Don't use health care cuts to pay for tax cuts for millionaires.
• @SenCoryGardner Voting for "skinny" repeal in the #GOPTaxScam will raise premiums on Coloradans and leave thousands without insurance. #VoteNo.
• @SenCoryGardner For how concerned you've been about health insurance premiums, it should be a no brainer to #VoteNo on #GOPTaxScam that raises health insurance premiums an additional 10% every year on top of increases we're already seeing. #ProtectOurCare

CHIP Funding update: It is sounding like funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program program (as well as Community Health Center Funding) may be included in the continuing resolution that needs to be passed late next week to keep the government funded. However, this is not for certain yet and we are encouraging Coloradans to contact members of Congress to fund these programs without conditions. Some Republicans are demanding offsets in order to fund these programs, offsets that would have other negative effects on health care (like gutting the prevention and public health fund). Demanding offsets for these relatively inexpensive yet valuable programs while Republicans move to vote on a tax bill that increases the deficit by $1.4 trillion is unconscionable. The demand for offsets could jeopardize the funding being included in the continuing resolution and push funding for the CHIP program out even further. Colorado will run out of funds to cover 90,000 children and pregnant women at the end of January.

Don't Forget to Support Open Enrollment:

We've created a folder of graphics you can share on social media to help raise awareness and encourage Coloradans to enroll in health insurance during open enrollment. It's very important that we support open enrollment this year to keep Coloradans covered and try to keep the individual market more stable in our state. Tomorrow is the deadline to sign up for coverage that starts January 1st! We will add more graphics to this folder periodically throughout the enrollment period which ends January 12th. Open enrollment graphics folder."