Republicans Plow Ahead to Cut Taxes For the Rich on the Backs of Seniors, Children, and Working Families
Washington, D.C. – After Republicans advanced their radical bill in the House Budget Committee late last night, press reports indicate Republicans are making even more cuts to Medicaid following pressure from right-wing lawmakers. Already the largest Medicaid cut in history, Republicans are jamming in even more cuts to health care in order to fund tax breaks for billionaires and big corporations. In addition to more draconian Medicaid cuts, Republicans are raising premiums and out-of-pocket costs for tens of millions of people who buy coverage through the Affordable Care Act (ACA). These price hikes will force millions of middle-class families to lose their coverage altogether.
“House Republicans took the next big step towards gutting millions of Americans’ health care to hand out more tax breaks for the ultra-wealthy,” said Protect Our Care Chair Leslie Dach. “This bill is getting worse by the minute. With House Republicans set to deepen their cuts to appease GOP hardliners, it’s time for so-called Republican moderates to put a stop to the war on health care. The so-called moderates sign letters and make statements on how they’ll protect Medicaid and then roll over and allow deeper cuts when they’re in Washington. At a time when too many Americans are struggling to make ends meet, Republicans are dead set on protecting the wealth of billionaires and massive companies – by slashing the health care and economic security of millions.”
BACKGROUND:
Republicans Plan To Speed Up Work Requirements To Throw More People Off Their Coverage. Republicans are set to make their Medicaid cuts even more extreme by moving up the implementation of their punitive work requirements. They are using job loss penalties and prohibitive reporting schemes to push through the cuts needed to pass this bill. But these policies don’t prevent fraud or improve efficiency – they make it harder for people to get the services they’re entitled to and only deliver the “savings” Republicans want by kicking people off coverage.