More grassroots advocacy from the folks back home

Jul 13, 2017 - 08:18 AM

We’ve been sharing with you how many hospitals and health systems are speaking up about congressional Republican proposals to repeal and replace major parts of the Affordable Care Act – proposals that would undermine care and coverage for millions of vulnerable Americans. Here are two more examples of grassroots action from the folks back home.

In Cleveland, Ohio, University Hospital President and CEO Thomas Zenty III described, first in town-hall styled meetings and later in a memo to all employees, the potential impact of  Republican plans to revise the ACA. Nearly 800 hospital employees contacted Sen. Rob Portman to register their objections to the Senate’s legislation. Portman later expressed his opposition to the Senate’s Better Care Reconciliation Act.

Meanwhile, in Phoenix, Ariz., Banner Health President and CEO Peter Fine in June called on the health system’s employees to weigh in on the Senate’s bill. They did. Banner Health employees registered their objections in some 4,290 messages to Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Jeff Flake, R-Ariz.

When the field speaks with a clear and unified voice, we get results. Please join the grassroots advocacy effort and reinforce the message about the importance of protecting care and coverage that the AHA and our state, regional and metropolitan hospital association partners are sending to Capitol Hill every day.

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