Bipartisanship Is Possible – And We Need It Now More Than Ever

Mom and Newborn In Hospital Bed

For the past several months, 1,000 Days and its community has called on Congress to work together to ensure America’s women, infants and young children have access to the comprehensive and affordable health care they need to thrive. From sharing personal stories to engaging directly with Members of Congress, we’ve seen how the power of people can truly affect change. Together, we protected health insurance for America’s moms and babies.

But now, once again, we find ourselves at a crossroads for health care—and we need everyone to weigh in.

On one hand, the Republican and Democratic leaders of the Senate Finance Committee have put forward bipartisan legislation to support the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), a crucial source of health insurance for millions of children across the U.S. Action is needed by September 30th to protect this important program. The introduction of this bill shows that health care can—and does—transcend partisan bickering.

On the other hand, Senate Republicans are making one last-ditch attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act through the Graham-Cassidy bill. If passed, this bill would prove disastrous for America’s moms and young children.

The Graham-Cassidy bill would strip away comprehensive coverage and result in millions of people—including women and children—losing their health insurance. This bill proposes to:

  • Clamp down on, and quickly eliminate, the federal funding that makes individual coverage affordable.
  • Reduce Medicaid coverage for millions of parents and children.
  • Put benefit decisions in the hands of states and insurance companies, including to allow them to charge more for people with pre-existing conditions.

In short, this bill is a major step backwards for children and their families.

1,000 Days calls on Congress to reject all proposals that repeal the Affordable Care Act and instead to support and quickly advance bipartisan action, like the CHIP legislation, that invests in women, children and America’s future.