Dear Partners in the fight for a better health system:

As we have been processing the results of the election, I hope you are taking care of yourself, and your loved ones and colleagues. We need you and your advocacy and well-being over the next several years, now more than ever. 

Many of the meanings and the impacts of the election should alarm all of us. Under the last Trump Administration, we had to actively fight that would have resulted in millions more of Americans uninsured, and severe cuts to core programs like Medicaid. All Americans should be highly alarmed about similar threats to the health coverage and consumer protections we all rely on. The repercussions of this election will be felt especially by many who are already marginalized, regardless of how they may have voted. 

As we have before, Families USA will be with you at the barricades to defend the core commitments of Medicaid, Medicare, the Affordable Care Act, and our health care system. Together, we will be on the frontlines in support of those Americans who face immediate threats to their health and lives just because of who they are, who they love, or where they come from.  As Americans, we are united within needing quality, affordable care and wanting more economic security.

On health care, the policy mandate for this election is much more about an affordability agenda of lowering health costs than of shredding the safety-net. Health care remains one of the biggest financial burdens facing Americans. At a time when so many American families continue to struggle with high prices for basic necessities like food, housing and health care, voters have sent a message that policymakers must do more to lower costs—and we can offer common-sense solutions on health plan premiums, hospital and prescription drug prices.

We should be clear and confident that the American people did not vote for any rollback in the significant progress we’ve made to provide more people access to affordable health care. Despite their past positions, both President Trump and his running mate disavowed Project 2025 or any repeal of the Affordable Care Act and its protections for people with pre-existing conditions. In credit to our movement and alongside the ACA's rising popularity, Trump distanced himself from the proposals of some in his party to cut and cap Medicare and Medicaid, repeal the Inflation Reduction Act, and stated repeatedly that they would not enact a national abortion ban. We should take pride that our health reform movement, working together, created a political environment where they even suggested that they worked to save and bolster the ACA.
We will work to hold them to their word and fight like hell to protect access to health care for all Americans, regardless of where they are from, where they work, or how much money they make.




While we feel resolute in the popularity of these programs, we are in no way reassured that now in power, they won't try again—maybe through a full-frontal assault to repeal key ACA elements or cap Medicaid, or more likely through a series of backdoor repeal efforts legislatively and administratively, from letting premium tax credits expire to placing bureaucratic burdens on getting and staying on Medicaid. We will need to be active, starting this fall before the new year, to highlight these threats and be clear about the real impacts these proposals will have on Americans, leaving many more uninsured, and/or paying more, living sicker, and dying younger. We especially will need your partnership to center the stories of those impacted—including those most disadvantaged and impacted—which include those who voted for President Trump, such as those in rural or working class communities who rely on these programs.


We also stand in solidarity and support with those whose health and livelihood are under specific attack, from immigrant to LGBTQ to transgender to Black and Brown communities. These attacks will impact all of us since our health system is ultimately stronger when everyone is included. 


And if we lose some key fights, and some key policies, we need to be loud and clear so that the public remembers that action and the impact, and we place a marker for restoration and going further.


I offer no silver lining or sugarcoating how tough this will be. While it may be tougher than last time, given different conditions including our own exhaustion, I know the resilience of this health advocacy communities, and last time, we did, together, prevent the worst of the proposals. We even found ways to make progress, from Medicaid expansions and new reforms and protections in both blue and red states. While we focus on defense, we also want to support you in a pro-active agenda, especially at the state and local level. The movement for health justice and equity and affordability is bigger than any election or official.


For example, if those in power are serious about addressing the affordability in health care, we stand ready and willing to work to advance a bipartisan affordability agenda on health provider prices, some of which is currently pending in Congress. During President Trump’s first term, Families USA worked with bipartisan leaders in Congress to secure significant wins for patients by taking action to stop surprise medical bills and improve hospital price transparency. We intend to keep working on these and other priorities that improve health care and lower costs for our nation’s families.


Among our next immediate steps, we have a post-election webinar/virtual town hall scheduled for tomorrow, Tuesday November 12, in partnership with our key national allies, including Center for Budget and Policy Priorities, Community Catalyst, Protect Our Care, Georgetown Center for Children and Families, and the National Immigration Law Center. Register here. 


We are re-tooling our strategy and content with regard to the lame duck Congressional session to the Health Action Conference agenda. Well before that, we want your input for the strategy, tactics and tools we need for these fights ahead, and hope to engage you accordingly.

Take care of yourselves, so we can be ready for the fight ahead, to ensure that we this country takes care of each other, literally and figuratively.

Peace,

Anthony

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