House Democrats’ campaign arm plans to hit roughly 60 Republicans on Obamacare as part of the Obama administration’s pushback against criticism by opponents of the healthcare law.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is blasting out statements to supporters targeting five dozen House Republicans who have criticized the Affordable Care Act. The statements tout the benefits from the Affordable Care Act and link House Republicans criticism of the law and the website to opposition other aspects of the healthcare law, like immunizations for children and cancer screenings.
The move comes as the Obama administration has launched a campaign to move the national conversation away from criticism resulting from problems with Healthcare.gov and call more attention to positive aspects of the law. The DCCC targeting House Republicans comes a day after the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid released a report saying 1.5 million Americans had enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program since the Affordable Care Act marketplaces went live at the beginning of October.
Below is an example of an email the DCCC is sending to supporters targeting House Republicans:
#CostsOfRepeal: Congressman Grimm Would End Cost-Saving and Life-Saving Preventive Care for 4,401,000 in New York
Congressman Michael Grimm’s obsessive attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act would end preventive health coverage that saves lives and reduces costs for 105 million Americans, including 4,401,000 people in New York. Congressman Grimm has voted time and again to repeal the Affordable Care Act and send us back to the days when insurance companies had free rein to deny coverage for prevention and then hike rates when patients got sick. The preventive care that Grimm would take away includes immunizations for children and cancer screenings and mammograms for adults.
Data released by the Department of Health and Human Services shows that than 105 million Americans, including 4,401,000 in New York, have already received expanded health coverage for one or more preventive services because of the Affordable Care Act, but Congressman Grimm’s House Republicans have voted 46 times to take it away.
“In New York, the 4,401,000 people who have received preventive care like immunizations and cancer screenings would be on their own if Congressman Grimm had his way and repealed the health care law. Congressman Grimm is obsessed with taking those free screenings away that his Republican Congress voted 46 times to repeal the Affordable Care Act and send us back to a broken system that let insurance companies do whatever they wanted and left too many Americans without a way to see doctors for needed preventive care,” said Emily Bittner of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “Instead of helping middle class families take advantage of these new benefits and working to improve the law, Congressman Grimm’s repeal plan would mean 4,401,000 people in New York would lose access to life-saving preventive health services that keep costs down for all of us.”
Services that the people of New York could lose access to if Congressman Grimm’s repeal plan passes include:
o For children – vision and hearing screening; developmental assessments; recommended immunizations; and screening and counseling to address obesity and help children maintain a healthy weight.
o For adults under age 65 – recommended immunizations and cancer screening such as colonoscopies for those over 50; healthy diet counseling for those at high risk for chronic disease and obesity screening; cholesterol and blood pressure screening; screening for HIV; depression screening; and tobacco-use counseling.
o For women under age 65 – additional preventive services such as recommended mammograms and Pap smears; well-woman visits; screening for gestational diabetes; and domestic violence screening and counseling.
