04.26.2017 / Press Release
Newest Republican Health Care Proposal Makes Last Month’s Failed Attempt Even Worse and Creates Double Standard Exempting Congress from the Harm
Jeopardizes Coverage for families; the wealthy still get $600 billion in tax breaks; and Congress includes protections for themselves
Washington, D.C. – Republican leadership last night finalized their latest attempt to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by proposing an amendment to the bill that was pulled from the floor last month for lack of support. The amended version would still strip funding for vulnerable populations receiving Medicaid coverage, take private coverage from millions of families, and drive up costs for millions more. But this new version also allows states to opt out of ACA protections by allowing insurers to charge higher premiums for those with pre-existing conditions and allowing insurers to provide low-quality coverage that does not include “essential health benefits” – like hospitalization, mental health services, and maternity and newborn care – and actually exempts Congress from these harms. Following is the statement of Frederick Isasi, executive director of Families USA, on the latest Republican proposal:
“Despite their promises, President Trump and House Republicans continue to threaten the ACA’s guarantee of affordable coverage and protections for people who have recovered from or are dealing with health problems. They continue to put forth proposals that strip coverage from millions of people and drive up health care costs for millions more. Even more startling is that the latest proposal actually locks-in protections for members of Congress and their staff. It’s clear that House Republicans want to create a double standard that doesn’t protect America’s families but still protects them and their staff.
“America’s families must be heard. By now, it should be clear to House Republicans and the Trump Administration from all the town halls, letters, phone calls and tweets that this is not what people want. They do not want to return to the dark days when insurers were free to charge the sick and old more for coverage and offered policies that covered very little, often leaving people to cope with staggering medical bills. It’s time for President Trump and the GOP to drop this harmful effort to undermine the nation’s health care system. It’s time to move on.”