Trumpcare is toxic

After weeks of secret negotiations, Sen. Mitch Mcconnell released his version of Trumpcare. Since it was drafted behind closed doors by a group of men, it’s no surprise that it’s been dubbed “the worst bill for women in a generation.”

Trumpcare cruelly blocks low-income individuals from going to Planned Parenthood, the largest family planning provider in the country, for preventive care, including birth control and cancer screenings. Up to 2.4 million patients would have nowhere to go. Women would lose access to basic care. Unintended pregnancies would rise. Cancers would go undetected. And the number of abortions would increase.

Trumpcare also decimates Medicaid, which cares for 1 in 5 women of reproductive age and pays for half of all births in this country. Trumpcare guts protections for essential health benefits, like maternity care and prescription drugs, which disproportionately impact women. As a result, 13 million women could lose maternity coverage.

Women’s health care is inextricably tied to women’s economic health. It’s incredibly difficult for awomantobuildacareer,notto mention reach her full potential, if she doesn’t have the ability to make decisions about her health.

That’s why Trumpcare is especially egregious. Attacks on women’s health are also attacks on women’s ability to fully participate in the workforce.

In April, at a town hall meeting with several hundred constituents, Sen. Dean Heller said he would “protect Planned Parenthood.” Soon, Sen. Heller will have a chance to keep his word. As a lifelong Nevadan, a corporate leader and the former mayor of Las Vegas, I know that the people in Nevada are counting on him to do so.

Jan Jones, Las Vegas