With the debt limit and the continuing resolution off their backs for the next three months, Republicans can get back to doing the things they do best -- like destroying our health insurance protections while pretending to save them. President Trump has said he wants "one last push" on health care, and Congress would need to finish an Obamacare repeal-and-replace by September 30 under budget reconciliation rules (they could do it after September 30, but then it'd be subject to a filibuster in the Senate). So today would be a good day to call your Congressfolk (using the tools in the upper right-hand corner of this page, or on the bottom of this page, if you're on a cellphone) to say no to the Republican wish list on health care. That means no to Medicaid cuts, no to tens of millions of Americans losing their health insurance, no to loopholes in the pre-existing conditions ban, no to letting insurers charge even more to seniors than they already do, and no to handing out more tax cuts for the rich (which repealing Obamacare taxes would do). That also means you'd say no to the Graham-Cassidy-Heller bill, widely (and incorrectly!) supposed to be a "moderate" "reform" bill.
Meanwhile, you've heard of the data breach at consumer credit reporting corporation Equifax, one which may have exposed names, birth dates, addresses, Social Security numbers, and even drivers' license numbers of close to half of all Americans. And naturally, Equifax offered credit monitoring services to those who might be affected -- services that force you to waive your right to take Equifax to court! Sigh. There is something to be said for seeing opportunity in failure, but mainly you should see the opportunity to correct your failure, not profit from it. Of course, this has been all over the news, so even Congress can't ignore it, and will in fact hold hearings on it soon, hence Consumers Union helps you tell your Congressfolk to hold Equifax accountable for what it's done, to enact stronger data security laws, and to preserve your Constitutional right to a day in court when you've been wronged by data breaches. They're going to act like it's too much to ask -- what more can we expect of a poor, beleaguered corporation? But Equifax has over $6.5 billion in assets and made nearly $500 million in profit last year, so I think they can weather a little accountability.
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