Sen. Paul’s Health Care Bill Equals ‘Repeal and Retreat’

Washington, D.C. – Following is the statement of Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, on today’s introduction of “The Obamacare Repeal Act” by Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY):

“As a physician, Senator Paul should know that the most important rule is ‘to do no harm.’ Unfortunately, this bill would do immense harm, especially causing millions of people to lose health insurance because health coverage will become unaffordable for many families.

“This is not a replacement bill, but a full scale retreat from the financial and consumer protections of the Affordable Care Act. Insurers would again be allowed to discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions. It would gut essential benefits, meaning coverage for essential care, like mental health, could be gone.

“This bill would also strip important protections for the lowest-income people who depend on the safety-net Medicaid program, thereby causing the most vulnerable families to lose needed coverage and be forced to pay costs out of pocket that they cannot afford.

“And, while it offers no upfront help to lower-and middle-income people to purchase coverage, it does provide tax breaks that will disproportionately help people with the highest incomes.

“This bill is a big step backwards, and would certainly cause immense harm.”