Today, May 4th is the one-year anniversary of the date that 217 Republicans voted for the Republican Health Care Repeal Bill and threatened Americans’ access to affordable, quality health care from coast to coast.

And we have not forgotten. Across the country, we are raising our voices and fighting back.

If signed into law, the bill would have repealed major sections of the Affordable Care Act (ACA)—and disproportionately attacked the health care for black communities across the country.

Thanks to the outpouring of voices from across the country, the bill ultimately failed in the U.S. Senate, but the majority of the members in the House of Representatives who voted for the bill are still in Congress and they continue to threaten to grab Americans’ health insurance in any way they can.

When the ACA was first passed, I was proudly serving as a Director at the Department of Health and Human Services under President Obama. It was my responsibility to unveil the ACA to the American people—legislation that opened the doors for more Americans to gain access to health care and that began to narrow our health care system’s racial disparities.

Under the ACA, the number of insured non-elderly African Americans grew by 1.8 million people. The insurance coverage for women of color grew at more than twice the rate of women overall. For the first time, millions of working families had access to regular checkups and lifesaving care.

This is the progress that the GOP tried to take away. Their repeal bill threatened to put 13.9 million black Americans at risk of losing Medicaid benefits. It would have raised premiums and threatened insurance accessibility for the estimated 17 million black Americans who have a pre-existing condition.

Although legislation failed in the Senate, Republican attacks have only continued. In the last year, we faced the TrumpTax that stripped health care away from 13 million Americans, dangerous “junk” insurance plans, and Medicaid work requirements. At the end of 2017, after nearly a year of Republican leadership, 3.2 million more people were uninsured than the year before.

So let me be clear: every threat and every action during the last two years have had direct consequences on members of the black community.

To mark the one year anniversary of the date that their bill passed the House of Representatives, join me in fighting back. Across the country, advocates are holding events and using the #HowDareYou to share our stories and raise our voices.

Hold these lawmakers accountable by pledging to help vote them out of office in November.

Defend our health care. And never stop speaking up.

Anton Gunn

Writing since May 2018 · 1 story contributed