PHILADELPHIA— Mayor Jim Kenney, Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley and Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disAbility Services Commissioner David T. Jones have released the following joint statement on the proposed bill repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by Senators Bill Cassidy and Lindsey Graham. For information on how you can help those who would be affected by the ACA’s repeal visit the city’s action guide.

“The Cassidy-Graham repeal bill is worse than the Republicans’ previous attempts to replace the Affordable Care Act.  It would allow state legislatures to end the protections of the ACA, end Medicaid as we know it, and transfer billions of dollars from Pennsylvania to other states that refused to offer Medicaid to their residents. The impact is huge. It also allows states to end ACA protections, like pre-existing conditions, behavioral health parity, the employer mandate and prohibition on lifetime caps.

“Currently, more than 200,000 Philadelphians benefit from the ACA. That means 1 in every six adults in Philadelphia now have health insurance as a direct result of the ACA. And since the proposed legislation would repeal the ACA’s Medicaid expansion, there would be a significant impact on funding for those in need of behavioral health services. That funding was also central to addressing street homelessness.  We cannot afford to turn back the clock.  We urge you to use your voice and to contact key legislators to vote against this bill.”