Please call! The U.S. House is now expected to vote mid-afternoon Friday, March 24 on the American Health Care Act (AHCA), a Republican-led bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Among its draconian cutbacks, AHCA would end the Medicaid expansion that helps older youth and adults experiencing homelessness and the working poor to access medical care and mental health treatment.

Phone Congress now to urge a "no" vote on AHCA: Call (866) 426-2631.

Your call will be routed to a Republican Illinois congressman's of fice. Tell them you're an Illinois resident and want their no vote on the AHCA.

AHCA would be devastating for millions of Americans: The Congressional Budget Office said 24 million people, at least 1 million from Illinois, would lose coverage within 10 years under last week's version of the bill - and the CBO has not had time to estimate the impact of new changes pushed through by the GOP leadership. Medicaid would be slashed by $880 billion, losing millions their health care and costing Illinois an estimated $40 billion in coming years.

Today is the most important day yet to make our voices heard and protect ACA. Here are three simple actions that anyone can do today to help prevent 24 million Americans from losing coverage and many more from losing critical benefits. You can also see some talking points further below.

Please take a moment to help protect this important legacy and critical safety net for millions of Americans:

1.      Calls, calls, calls:  Here's a tool that you can share  with your members or share SEIU's numbers. Starting calls as soon as possible is important and helpful and there are many votes that we can flip.

2.      Turn out and amplify:  There are events happening around the country TODAY -  ResistanceNearMe.org  for events. You can help make these events seen in real time by encouraging attendees and your affiliates to tag the targeted member in social media!

3.      Get out the facts:  Help explain how this bill will hurt millions of Americans. Many moderates may not know is just how bad eliminating essential health benefits are.

Some Suggested Key Talking Points: Day of Health Care Repeal Vote

Last night, GOP leaders caved to the most radical parts of their caucus and made a bad bill even worse - not only does it raise premiums and deductibles and cut coverage for 24 million, it now lets insurance companies stop offering basic services like maternity care, check-ups for kids, prescription drugs or even hospital and doctor visits.

The AHCA is Bad Policy

·       The AHCA is a bad bill that keeps getting worse.

·       At a time when Americans are concerned about health care being too expensive,  it raises premiums 20 percent, charges people over 50 as much as five times more  than younger enrollees and  increases out-of-pocket costs and deductibles , while leaving  24 million  more people uninsured.

·       The changes made yesterday to Essential Health Benefits  makes coverage worse for almost everybody .  

·       It effectively  eliminates annual out-of-pocket caps  and  reinstates annual and lifetime coverage limits,  hurting those with the most serious illnesses, like cancer.

·       And it  guts protections for preexisting conditions , because most insurance policies won't include coverage for essential benefits, like maternity care, resulting in soaring costs for those who need them.

·       Medicaid cuts and changes to health insurance rules will  dramatically limit access to mental health and opioid use disorder treatment , even with a last-minute infusion of laughably inadequate funding in the bill.

The AHCA is Bad Politics

Brand new poll from Quinnipiac University has only 17% support for this bill -- 56% opposition.  Opposition grows to over 60% with voters over 50 .

·       White voters without a college degree - the core of Trump's vote - oppose it 48% to 22%.

·       Only 41% of REPUBLICANS support it.

Even a growing group of Republicans in the House opposed the bill specifically citing cost increases and coverage losses.

·       The  co-chair of the moderate caucus  of Republicans in the House said the bill "will lead to loss of coverage and make insurance unaffordable for too many Americans."

·        Another Republican  said "it is not as good as or better than what we currently have."

This bill hurts almost every American, but it hurts those that voted for President Trump the most  - hiking premiums and cutting tax credits in rural areas, raising costs for people over 50 and removing the guarantee of coverage for to treat substance use disorders  like opioid addiction.

·        LA Times : Trump voters would be among the biggest losers in Republicans' Obamacare replacement plan

·        CNBC : Many Trump voters would pay a lot more for health insurance under Trumpcare bill

·        New York Times : Trump Supporters Have the Most to Lose in the G.O.P. Repeal Bill

·        Boston Globe : Obamacare repeal could hurt rural areas - a key Trump constituency

Republicans are being pushed to vote for a bad bill - one they know hurts their constituents and hurts them politically - but it has no prospect of passage in the Senate. It's dead on arrival.