While the country deals with the onslaught of COVID-19 Trump’s Administration is reportedly finalizing its changes to Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act also known as the Health Care Rights Law. These proposed changes will strip away protections for LGBTQ people & people for whom English is not their first or primary language.
Mary Alice Carter, Senior Advisor, Equity Forward stated, “At a time when the need for health care access is so stark, when we need to be doing more to keep our neighbors, our communities & our country safe & healthy, Trump is removing discrimination protections for people seeking health care. While this has been on the Administration’s agenda for years, in an act of incredible cruelty, they are choosing the middle of a pandemic to go after LGBTQ people, people with limited English & people who need reproductive health care. ” Rule changes have been accelerated since Roger Severino a long time LGBTQ bigot was put in charge of the Office for Civil Rights at HHS. Severino has a history of attacking the ACA’s anti-discrimination rule since his time at the racial rightwing org the Heritage Foundation. Along with the Leadership Conference on Civil & Human Rights, the National Center on Transgender Equality & over 270 other organizations, Equity Forward issued a joint statement of concern over the finalization of the Section 1557 rules changes. Carter concluded, “Roger Severino has taken an office that was meant to be a shield for marginalized people & molded it into a sword. His long time campaign to erase trans people & to deny equal care to people based on their gender is coming to fruition. It’s abhorrent that the leadership at our nation’s health department, whose mission is to enhance the health & well-being of all Americans has made it so clear who they think matters & who does not.”
For More Info: civilrights.org
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