Congress is moving quickly to pass a tax bill before Christmas that will place critical programs for people with disabilities at great risk! The bill will reduce federal revenues so much that Congress is all but certain to move to cut programs to pay for the tax cuts. In fact, several Members of Congress have been promised that Medicaid and other programs will be cut next year if Congress votes for a bill that increases the deficit.
The tax plan also includes repeal of the "individual mandate" that requires people to obtain health care coverage or face penalties. This will result in nearly 13 million people losing health coverage and will increase premiums by 10% for people buying insurance on the health insurance exchange. The individual mandate is a critical piece of the complex system of incentives and penalties created by the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and repealing it would undermine the entire law.
Please take the time today to reach out to members of Congress. Below is a script you can use:
- I am a member of The Arc.
- Please vote against Tax Cuts and Jobs Acts
- This bill will harm people with disabilities by reducing needed federal revenue and taking away health care for many people.