RSVP now for Sunday’s rally in Seattle to save health care

SEATTLE — If we don’t act now, 30 million Americans could lose their insurance entirely and millions more will face less affordable and less accessible health care.

Republican leaders are barreling full speed ahead with their reckless, destructive plan to shred the Affordable Care Act, demolish individual insurance markets and throw our health care system into chaos. And that “replacement” plan they’ve promised? The details are foggy, but you can bet it includes ending Medicare and Medicaid as we know them while handing the wealthy few a huge tax break.

We can’t let Congress pull the rug out from under working families. Hundreds of people will be taking action this Sunday, Jan. 15 in Seattle to tell members of Congress to oppose these dangerous attacks on our health care — and the Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO urges all union members and community supporters to be there.

TAKE A STAND! — Sign up now to join the day of action in Seattle this Sunday to save health care. Our First Stand: A Day of Action to Save Health Care in Seattle begins Sunday at noon at Westlake Park, 401 Pine St. in Seattle. Special guests will include U.S. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-7th). Can’t make it on Sunday? You still can make a difference. Click here now or dial 1-888-865-8089 now to call your senator to oppose the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, especially if there’s no plan to replace it that provides quality, affordable health care for everyone.

ALSO — Rep. Rick Larsen (D-2nd) is launching a seven-stop Affordable Care Act Tour of Washington’s 2nd Congressional District — holding a series of events to hear from constituents, hospital administrators, healthcare providers, insurers, patient advocacy organizations and members of the faith community about how Congressional Republicans’ efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act with no plan to replace it will affect Washingtonians. On Saturday, Jan. 14, Larsen will hold the first of the events from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at Mountlake Terrace Senior Center, 23000 Lakeview Drive, and again from 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Western Washington Premera Blue Cross, 7001 220th Street SW Building #3. Other events are planned in Bellingham, Anacortes and Everett. Click here for more info.

Republican legislators may not be ready to reveal their 2017 replacement plan for the Affordable Care Act to the public, but Republican leaders like House Speaker Paul Ryan have made clear the harm they intend to do to all of the health benefits relied on by working people and retirees, not just those covered by the ACA.

Their proposals embody a cut-and-run approach that targets the ACA, Medicare and Medicaid benefits and endangers our workplace health benefits. If Republican legislators succeed, they would effectively end Medicare and Medicaid as we know them and hurt working people and retirees with lost coverage and denial of the care they need.

The good news is that some Republican legislators in the Senate are showing signs of wavering on their support of this destructive plan. But we can’t let up.

RSVP now to join working people in Seattle on Sunday to stop extreme Republican leaders in Congress from taking away health care for millions of people.