Republicans’ War on Health Care Will Raise Health Care and Drug Costs, Slash Medicaid, and Rip Health Care From Millions to Fund Tax Breaks for the Wealthy
Tomorrow, Republicans in the House Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means Committees will pass legislation to raise health care costs and rip away coverage from millions so Trump and the GOP can fund tax breaks for the wealthy and big corporations. Last night, Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee released the text of their budget proposal, putting pen to paper on their plan to kick millions off their health care by enacting the largest cuts to Medicaid in history, raising costs on low-income families, closing rural hospitals, and enacting burdensome work requirements designed to deny people coverage. Millions of Americans could lose coverage, including seniors, children, veterans, people with disabilities, workers who don’t get insurance through their jobs, and people who take care of their children or elderly parents.
In addition to draconian Medicaid cuts, Republicans are raising premiums and out-of-pocket costs for tens of millions of people who buy coverage on their own. These Republican price hikes will force middle-class families to lose their coverage altogether.
“Not a single dollar should be taken from health care to fund tax breaks for billionaires,” said Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach. “Now is the time for so-called Republican moderates to stand up for their constituents. House Republicans are planning to betray their own voters and make health care more expensive with the largest Medicaid cuts in history. Such drastic health care cuts will throw working families off coverage and into medical debt, take critical long-term care away from seniors and people with disabilities, shutter rural hospitals, and leave children uninsured. This Republican budget will hurt people — all so Trump and the GOP can give tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans.”
Republicans in Congress continue to lie about the devastating impact their budget will have on people and communities across the country because they know how cruel and unpopular their war on health care is. Poll after poll after poll – even Trump’s own pollster – has found the majority of Americans, including a majority of Republicans, oppose any cuts to Medicaid or the Affordable Care Act. Yet, this Republican budget will give tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans at the expense of the medical care and financial stability of everyone else.
BACKGROUND
- THE TRUTH: Every Republican Medicaid Proposal Will Take Health Care Away from Millions To Fund Tax Breaks for the Wealthy
- The Commonwealth Fund: How National Medicaid Work Requirements Would Lead To Large-Scale Job Losses, Harm State Economies, And Strain Budgets
- Brookings Institution: Congress is debating stricter SNAP and Medicaid work requirements – but research shows they don’t work
- Center for American Progress: Congressional Republicans’ Proposals To Slash Medicaid Could Cost Tens of Thousands of Lives