What we’re reading on direct action and the health care bill

In the early hours of the morning, the Senate narrowly defeated the Health Care Freedom Act, which would have repealed the Affordable Care Act and potentially stripped health insurance from 16 million people. The bill was defeated after months of courageous protests in Washington, DC and across the country. Here’s what we’re reading to learn more.

 

How Civil Disobedience Helped Kill Trumpcare -- At Least For Now, by Michael Corcoran via Truthout

“Some of the most memorable images of the mobilization against Trumpcare took place when police were seen forcibly removing people with disabilities, including a number of wheelchair users, from the halls of Congress as they pled with congressional leaders to spare Medicaid. The visual of police dragging activists from ADAPT, a disability rights group, was seared into the minds of the nation.

‘We are a grassroots organization that engages in direct action and civil disobedience. We chose to combat the cuts to Medicaid because we are fighting for our basic civil rights,’ said Marilee Adamski-Smith, chair of ADAPT's media committee. ‘Without Medicaid, we cannot live independently. It is a matter of life and death for us.’”

 

At the Capitol With Those for Whom Last Night Mattered the Most, by Emma Roller via Fusion

“In June, as news came out that the Senate might fast-track their Obamacare repeal bill, Hung decided to do something. Over birthday cake in her friend and fellow “trach mom” Erin Mosley’s kitchen, Hung came up with the idea for Little Lobbyists. Over the past month, the group has been everywhere on the Hill, storming the Capitol and forcing lawmakers to confront children with complex medical problems.

‘We said, you know what? You’re in Louisiana, you’re in Ohio, you’re in Nevada. Send me your story. I will hand deliver this to your senator. I will bring my child so they can see what a child with disability looks like, and what is possible. And that’s what we’ve been doing for over a month now,’ Hung said.”

 

The Obamacare assault doesn’t die with skinny repeal, by Addy Baird via Think Progress

“Activists and Congressional Democrats are celebrating the bill’s failure, which represents a major political setback for the GOP and means former President Barack Obama’s signature achievement lives to see another day.

But be warned: it’s not over ’til it’s over. The fight against the ACA will rage on, as President Donald Trump can and likely will undermine the law from inside the White House in several major ways.”

 

The Rolling Resistance: Meet Three Disability Rights Activists Fighting to Save Healthcare, via Democracy Now

 

"What We're Reading" is a weekly feature on AFSC’s News and Commentary blog, where we share a curated collection of recent articles on timely issues. "What We're Reading" is meant to spark discussion, debate, and knowledge sharing, and the articles we highlight do not necessarily reflect the official organizational positions of AFSC. We encourage you to tell us what you're reading on these issues in the comments below.