Dear Congress, Don’t Vote Away Our Care

Mar 24, 2017

NAMI CEO Mary Giliberti wrote a letter to the U.S. House leadership on March 23rd with a clear message: NAMI votes NO on The American Health Care Act (AHCA) of 2017.

Today, the U.S. House pulled the vote on H.R. 1628, the AHCA–a win for NAMI.  The AHCA would have a damaging impact on Americans with mental health conditions and their families. It proposes massive federal cuts to Medicaid, the single largest payer of mental health and substance use services in our country.

“The CBO reported that the AHCA will slash federal Medicaid spending by $880 billion over the next decade,” Giliberti wrote. “This disinvestment will threaten the ability of millions to access the mental health and substance use services they need to experience recovery, stay off the streets and out of the criminal justice system.”

Proponents of the bill point out that the House added $15 billion to a stability fund for states to cover maternity and newborn care and mental health and substance use treatment. This one-time fund is far less than the amount states are estimated to lose every year for mental health and substance use treatment under the AHCA.

NAMI members have fought for decades for more mental health coverage, not less. Unfortunately, the AHCA does not achieve this goal.

Share NAMI’s letter, and tell Congress to #KeepWhatWorks.

Find our AHCA talking points here.