MAYORS FROM KEY STATES PUSH SENATORS PORTMAN, COLLINS, HELLER, FLAKE IN FINAL PUSH TO “VOTE NO” ON THE MOTION TO PROCEED

WASHINGTON, DC, July 25, 2017 -- Leading mayors from Ohio, Nevada, Maine, and Arizona sent letters to their Senators urging them to vote NO on the Motion to Proceed on the BCRA healthcare bill. These Mayors recognize the importance of health care to their residents, their communities, and to their local economies.

Eighty-five percent of Americans live in cities, and mayors are at the forefront of national health care delivery and programming. In their letters, the Mayors express deep concern with the proposed Medicaid cuts, uncertainty in the health care system, and the millions of lives at stake in this rushed legislative process.

“I’m concerned about the detrimental impact that Medicaid funding cuts would leave on Nevadans, forcing many to go entirely without healthcare coverage,” Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman writes. “Further, decreased reimbursement for physicians and hospitals would have a devastating effect on access to care.”

“Furthermore, the opioid epidemic is ravaging our communities and hurting our economies. Medicaid provides nearly half of all opioid addiction treatment funding, and cutting this program back will only make our challenges harder. Over 220,000 Ohioans could lose their treatment coverage if Medicaid expansion is slashed,” Mayors from Ohio write.

“The BRCA contains Medicaid cuts that would be devastating for Maine and we appreciate your strong and public support for Medicaid,” Mayors from Maine write. “Repealing the ACA with a delay would create tremendous uncertainty and push the health care system in the US into crisis.”

“While the Affordable Care Act needs to be fixed and changes need to be made, a repeal of the bill—without a replacement—would lead to nearly 32 million Americans losing their health coverage…This is not fixing a problem—this is creating a national health crisis,” Mesa Mayor John Giles and AARP Arizona State Director Dana Kennedy write.

Mayors are available for interviews and broadcast appearances. If you're interested in speaking with Mayor Landrieu or USCM leadership about this issue, please contact Kelsi Browning at [email protected] or 908-247-3263.

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About The United States Conference of Mayors -- The U.S. Conference of Mayors is the official nonpartisan organization of cities with populations of 30,000 or more. There are nearly 1,400 such cities in the country today, and each city is represented in the Conference by its chief elected official, the mayor. Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/usmayors, or follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/usmayors.

Attachments:

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/f29ba777-7030-4fb8-9207-dc47ee27d1dd

Kelsi Browning
SKDKnickerbocker
908-247-3263
[email protected]

Sara Durr
Durr Communications
202-215-1811
[email protected]