For Immediate Release
January 12, 2017
Contact: Max Rosenblum or Sarah Garfinkel
202.387.2800 | news@rac.org
WASHINGTON – In response to Senate votes to begin the process of repealing the Affordable Care Act, Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism, issued the following statement:
In a key procedural vote early this morning, the Senate moved forward on dismantling the Affordable Care Act, without any mechanism to replace the coverage it provides. This reckless move could lead to a loss of vital healthcare coverage for 30 million Americans, including the 23 million who are newly covered by this landmark law.
The Senate’s vote places many of the ACA’s most crucial provisions in jeopardy and creates deep uncertainty within the entire healthcare system. It puts our society’s most vulnerable – those who are sick – at risk.
For centuries, Jewish law has commanded communities to provide healthcare to their inhabitants (Mishneh Torah, Hilchot De'ot IV: 23). We are inspired by this tradition that reflects the fact that healthcare is a core element of creating a just society. We call on the Senate and House to take no further steps down the dangerous path of ACA repeal and instead to work together to enhance our healthcare system so that all people can access the care they need and deserve.
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The Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism is the Washington office of the Union for Reform Judaism, whose nearly 900 congregations across North America encompass 1.5 million Reform Jews, and the Central Conference of American Rabbis, whose membership includes more than 2,000 Reform rabbis. Visit www.rac.org for more.
