WASHINGTON, D.C. — Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09) today released the following statement after the House of Representatives passed H.R. 1628, the American Health Care Act of 2017, or “Trumpcare,” by a vote of 217-213:
“I voted against Trumpcare today because it is harmful to the average American and will result in people dying because they don’t have access to quality, affordable health insurance,” said Congressman Cohen. “This poorly-thought-out legislation, that has a mere 17% approval rating, allows states to discriminate against patients with pre-existing conditions and to opt out of offering essential health benefits such as maternity care, mental health services, pediatric services, preventative care services, drug abuse treatment and physical rehabilitation services.”
“Trumpcare will also force lower and middle-income Americans to pay more for less coverage while the wealthiest Americans receive huge tax breaks. As many as 24 million more Americans would be uninsured and those 50-64 years of age would pay significantly higher premiums and out-of-pocket expenses. It will significantly reduce federal funding for Medicaid, shorten the life of the Medicare Trust Fund and waive annual and lifetime caps now prohibited by the ACA. But without an updated CBO score or time to analyze the flurry of last-minute changes, we don’t yet know the full extent of the catastrophic impacts that this bill could have on our health care system.”
“Trumpcare is a wealth care bill, not a health care bill. It puts politics over improving our health care system. This bill is an excuse to give the wealthiest Americans huge tax breaks and proceed towards more tax cuts for the rich in the future. It should be called the ‘Ebenezer Scrooge Act’ because it enriches the wealthiest individuals and harms the less fortunate both fiscally and physically.”