Ground Zero - Action Alert, December 15, 2025
- beachesactivistmov
- 6 hours ago
- 4 min read
Loss of ACA Subsidies Looms
With the Senate's failure to pass bills to extend --- or provide an alternative to --- Obamacare subsidies, the House is poised to vote on its own plan this week. An effort by GOP moderates and Democrats to add an amendment extending the subsidies is expected to fail, making it likely that the tax credits that make insurance affordable for 22 million Americans will lapse by the end of the year. As a result, premiums could more than double, forcing many to opt for worse coverage or drop insurance altogether. Reverberations will be felt throughout the entire health care sector.
Florida is ground zero. More than 4.7 million people are enrolled in Affordable Care Act plans – the most of any state in the nation. Nearly 98% receive subsidies that reduce their premiums. The self-employed, gig workers, and older adults (over 60) are especially vulnerable, as Florida refused an option to expand Medicaid, making ACA subsidies crucial.
This is a crisis of the GOP's making. After repeatedly trying to repeal Obamacare, Republicans and Trump have failed to present a promised alternative that maintains the gains in covered Americans. Under the ACA, the national uninsured rate dropped by nearly half, from over 14% in 2013 to around 8% by 2022, a historic low. Their recent 11th-hour wrangling showed the paucity of strategies they have to offer. Take advantage of what's likely our last chance to speak out on this issue before it's too late:
➡️Take two minutes now to remind Rep. John Rutherford what Obamacare and ACA subsidies mean for Floridians. Demand he vote to extend the tax credits and preserve affordable health care coverage for the people he was elected to represent. Call him at (202) 225-2501 and follow up with an email.
➡️Extra credit: Let Sen. Rick Scott know what you think about his assessment of Obamacare and its failures: "it created a broken system that left American families grappling with soaring costs. . .while insurance companies profited." Scott, you will recall, was CEO of the hospital chain Columbia/HCA in the 1990s, when the company paid what was, at the time, the largest healthcare fraud settlement in U.S. history. No irony here. Call him at (202) 224-5274 and follow up with an email.
Baker Cruelty Camp Protest &
More Attacks on Immigrants
BAM, Indivisible Mandarin, and a host of other activist organizations celebrated Our Lady of Guadalupe last weekend with a protest outside the Baker Cruelty Camp. Organized by the Jacksonville Immigrant Rights Alliance, the rally included a rosary, chants, speakers, music, and shouts of support to those in ICE detention. First-generation Americans shared their stories and fears for family members and friends.
The protest, part of a nationwide action in support of Immigrant Justice, took place as the Trump administration attacked Somalis with racist rhetoric and redoubled efforts to strip legal status from immigrants who have lived and worked in the United States for years by ending Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for even more countries, halting and re-litigating asylum decisions, and even detaining DACA recipients who have called this county home since childhood.
➡️ Act now to protect immigrant rights by signing this letter in support of two recently re-introduced pieces of legislation: the Dream Act and the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act. These bills represent a balanced approach to immigration and uphold due process and protections for those in detention.
➡️ Demand Congress push back on the administration's escalating attacks on the human rights of immigrants. Call Rep. John Rutherford, and Senators Rick Scott and Ashley Moody using this link and script from 5 Calls and follow-up with an email.
➡️Extra credit: Reach out to the Diocese of St. Augustine and express your disappointment at its decision to withdraw as a sponsor of this event. Words demand action.
BAM Holiday Fun!
We celebrated the season last week at the BAM Holiday Party with friends and allies, great food, libations, music, and, of course, our annual offering of not-so-traditional holiday carols! You can enjoy a compilation of this year's songs here. Great fun!
BAM Members Take Action
Vax Attacks: BAM Board Member Dr. Nancy Staats was a guest panelist on First Coast Connect last week in a special segment on the state's efforts to eliminate vaccine mandates for school children. The show aired in advance of a FL Department of Health hearing in Panama City that featured testimony from medical experts and anti-vax advocates. DOH is now accepting written comments on proposed rule changes. Find further information supporting vaccine mandates here, and click here to adapt and send an email opposing the changes.
Fighting Academic Censorship: BAM member Dr. John White, who shared his efforts to fight academic censorship at our recent meeting (Resisting Authoritarianism), was a featured guest columnist in Sunday's Florida Times-Union opinion section. Read his comments here.
A Little GOOD News!
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New BAM t-shirts are the perfect gift for that hard-to-please friend or relative! Click the button below and we'll send you information on sizes, payment options, and pickup. What better way to show your support for the movement and engage more people in RESISTING at the Beach. The perfect gift for a donation of $25!
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