WASHINGTON, DC [05/24/17] – Today Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) called out House leadership after the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its assessment of the costs of the health care legislation that passed the House earlier this month. The new CBO score shows that 23 million Americans would lose their health coverage in the next decade.
“This assessment from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office proves that the bill passed by a party-line vote with no hearings will be dangerous and harmful. Leaving any American without coverage is unfortunate; abandoning 23 million is unacceptable and immoral.
“Before voting to make substantial changes to health care policy, the House should have had this information. Now more than ever I stand by my vote against this harmful bill because it would put the most vulnerable people at risk of losing health care coverage, and would be a disaster for Oregonians and Americans.
“The American Health Care Act will increase costs and reduce coverage. The plan to allow states to strip away important consumer protections is a huge step backward. I used to work at Legal Aid providing financial advice to struggling families. Many who came in with financial trouble were struggling to repay medical debt because they didn’t have health insurance or had inadequate coverage. The American Health Care Act would allow states to opt out of requiring insurance companies to cover essential services such as mental health care, emergency services, or maternity care. Hard-working Americans will lose by paying higher costs and risking financial ruin if they or someone in their family has a preexisting condition. If working families are going to be left to cover the costs of major health expenses, we will go back to the days where a diagnosis could mean bankruptcy or foreclosure.
“The President and House leadership are continuing to push for repeal of the Affordable Care Act, which is creating uncertainty and instability in the health care system. I stand ready and willing to come to the table to work on changes to the Affordable Care Act that will increase coverage and reduce costs, and my Republican colleagues should do the same instead of recklessly trying to dismantle the law because they promised to repeal it on the campaign trail.”
