Washington, DC – Today, Protect Our Care is releasing a new digital ad in advance of the two year anniversary of the Republican-controlled House’s passage — and subsequent celebration at the White House — of the disastrous American Health Care Act (AHCA) on May 4th, 2017. The ad highlights the damage that could have been done had the bill become law of the land and its release falls on the day of a key deadline in the Trump-Texas lawsuit where the Trump administration must explain its decision to double down on its support for the lawsuit. On the release of the new ad Brad Woodhouse, executive director of Protect Our Care, issued the following statement:
“Voters haven’t forgotten when Republicans cheered and celebrated in the Rose Garden after voting to strip health care away from millions of Americans two years ago. Even after getting crushed in the midterms, President Trump and his GOP allies in Congress continue to attack our health care system by pushing their sabotage agenda on Capitol Hill and through the courts with the destructive Texas lawsuit. The American people will always remember the disgraceful AHCA vote on May 4th, 2017 as a symbol of the GOP’s war on health care, and there’s no doubt they will continue to hold Trump and the Republican Party accountable for their cruel and reckless actions to take away their health care.”
Watch the Ad Here
Background:
Health Care Repeal Would Have Raised Health Care Costs, Especially For Older Americans
Raise Premiums By Double Digits. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found that a key part of the American Health Care Act, repealing the requirement that most people have health insurance and was enacted as part of the GOP tax bill, will premiums 10 percent next year.
Impose An Age Tax – Older Americans Pay Nearly $12,000 More. The American Health Care Act would have imposed what the AARP calls an “age tax” on older Americans by cutting the amount of assistance older people receive and by allowing insurers to charge people over 50 fives times more. Nationally, out-of-pocket costs for older people could have increased by as much as $11,917 by 2026.
Surcharge For People With Pre-Existing Conditions. The American Health Care Act would have allowed states to eliminate community rating, meaning insurers would be able to charge people with pre-existing conditions more. This surcharge could have been in the tens of thousands of dollars and even six figures: up to $4,270 for asthma, $17,060 for pregnancy, $26,180 for rheumatoid arthritis and $140,510 for metastatic cancer.
Health Care Repeal Would Have Caused Millions of Americans To Lose Coverage
23 Million Would Have Lost Coverage. By 2026, 23 million U.S. residents would have lost coverage under this bill.
14 Million With Medicaid Would Have Lost Coverage. Under the American Health Care Act, 14 million with Medicaid would have lost their coverage by 2026.
441,300 U.S. Veterans Would Have Lost Coverage. Under the American Health Care Act, 441,400 veterans would have lost their Medicaid coverage nationally.
Health Care Repeal Would Have Meant Weaker Protections For Americans
52 Million Americans Have A Pre-Existing Condition, And Were At Risk For Paying More. The American Health Care Act would have weakened key protections of the Affordable Care Act by allowing states to let insurers charge 52 million Americans with pre-existing conditions more, among other provisions. The bill would have made it more likely insurers would cherrypick young and healthier people, causing costs to skyrocket for older, sicker people.
Women’s Health Would Be In Jeopardy. The American Health Care Act would have blocked millions from accessing birth control, cancer screenings, and other basic health care at Planned Parenthood health centers, eliminated the guarantee of maternity coverage, and newborn care, and allowed insurers to discriminate against women.
Health Care Repeal Would Have Ended Medicaid As We Know It
Medicaid Would Have Been Slashed By $839 Billion. The American Health Care Act would have ended Medicaid as we know it, a 50 year old program that helps seniors, children, people with disabilities and other vulnerable populations get the care they need. It would have slashed Medicaid by $839 billion, ended the funding needed to expand Medicaid, and converted the program into a “per capita cap”, thus ending guaranteed coverage for everyone who has it. As a result, the Republican repeal bill put the health of 77 million, or one in five Americans, who count on Medicaid in grave danger. These cuts would have strained state budgets and undermined efforts to combat the opioid crisis.
Health Care Repeal Would Have Cut Health Care To Give Tax Breaks To The Rich
- CNN Money: Republican health care plan has a big tax break for execs’ pay [3/7/17]
- Buzzfeed: The Republican Health Care Plan Includes A Tax Break For Insurance CEOs [3/6/17]