The healthcare debate has flared on and off for weeks. Last month, the House passed the American Health Care Act. And now the Senate is busy at work on a bill.

Meanwhile, eight well-known advocate groups have teamed up to promote the need for patient access to healthcare. Through their alliance, the organizations are calling on the Senate to consider how the AHCA would bring about more healthcare costs and hazards for Americans.

The groups include AARP, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the American Diabetes Association, the American Heart Association, the American Hospital Association, the American Medical Association, the Federation of American Hospitals and March of Dimes.

In the coming weeks, the organizations will hold events in four states: Colorado, Ohio, Nevada and West Virginia. The first event will occur on June 15 in Cleveland and will be moderated by AMA President David Barbe.

Four primary topics will be highlighted during the events: access to care, protections for Medicaid beneficiaries, protections for people with employer-sponsored insurance and the overall affordability of health insurance.

Erin O’Neill, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network’s vice president of volunteer engagement and grassroots strategies, spoke to MedCity about what prompted ACS CAN to join the initiative.

“In working together, it gives us the opportunity to amplify the voices of cancer patients and all patients and consumers who are impacted by potential changes to the current health law,” she said in a phone interview.

To really hammer home their viewpoint, the groups have jointly released a fact sheet underscoring the negative impacts of the AHCA. “The AHCA would erode health protections for millions of Americans and expose them to increased costs and health risks,” the sheet says.

For one, it notes that 23 million Americans are projected to lose health insurance coverage under the AHCA, a number highlighted in the CBO’s report released in May.

On top of that, the organizations express that the ACA replacement would cut $839 billion from Medicare over the next decade.

More than 52 million Americans have a pre-existing condition, and the AHCA could cause them to face unaffordable coverage from insurers, the sheet says. In fact, those with pre-existing conditions could have premiums of $25,477 through high-risk pools.

Individuals with insurance through their employer aren’t exempt from potential hazards, either. According to the fact sheet, the AHCA would debilitate the caps on employees’ out-of-pocket costs.

As the time marches onward, the organizations are urging the Senate to protect patients first and include them in the healthcare debate.

“On behalf of cancer patients, what they really want is a process in the Senate that’s going to be open and gives the the opportunity to be part of a discussion and part of a solution,” O’Neill said. “But unfortunately right now, the process in the Senate has been opaque.”

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