Today, Speaker Paul Ryan and other far-right Republicans proudly unveiled Trumpcare, which apparently means no care for millions. The plan, if it becomes law:
- Allows older purchasers to be charged five times as much as younger ones
- Would devastate rural hospitals and jobs
- Gives tax breaks to insurance CEO’s making more than $500,000
- Will likely leave millions uninsured
Trumpcare cuts healthcare coverage in many ways [h/t Protect Our Care]. It:
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Ends Medicaid expansion: Makes it impossible for states to continue Medicaid expansion past 2020, meaning millions fewer would have coverage.
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Cuts regular Medicaid: Trumpcare creates per-capita caps to Medicaid funding that will result increased costs for millions of additional seniors, low-income families, people with disabilities, and children
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Defunds Planned Parenthood: Puts essential care at risk for millions of patients who depend on Planned Parenthood for their care.
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Reduces tax credits: Makes coverage unaffordable for millions of moderate-income families by reducing the size of tax subsidies. The Kaiser Family Foundation found that many would pay thousands more a year.
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Raises premiums and out-of-pocket costs – especially for older people: Premiums and out-of-pocket costs will rise, especially for older people, because the bill lifts caps on how much insurance companies can charge.
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Huge penalties for short lapses in coverage: Anyone who doesn’t have insurance for two months will be hit with a 30% premium hike – for a full year – if they try to obtain coverage. This provision would not only incentivize healthy people to stay out of the health insurance market, it would make it unaffordable for Americans who need coverage to obtain it again. It would leave more Americans without access to care and make the whole system more expensive for everyone.
And to add insult to injury, even as Trumpcare cuts Medicaid and subsidies for working families:
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It has a big new tax giveaway for wealthy people: Health savings accounts are just another tax break for the wealthiest. For people living paycheck-to-paycheck, this doesn’t make health care more affordable or accessible.
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And another, even bigger tax giveaway for insurance company CEOs. Insurance companies will once again be able to count huge executive salaries as deductible business expenses.
Call to Action:
Let’s put Republican Members of Congress on the hot seat. Let’s ask them the tough questions they want to bypass with the fast track of Trumpcare.
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How much it will cost?
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How many people will lose their healthcare?
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How many people will go bankrupt from medical bills?
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How people with healthcare through their employers will be affected?
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How much premiums and out-of-pocket expenses will go up?
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How much more seniors will pay if the current caps are lifted?
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And ultimately, the question is not whether Americans will die, it’s how many?
If they can’t answer these questions, they must oppose Trump/Ryan/Price’s awful replacement plan.
Our Representative, Tom O’Halleran, is already fighting hard to get answers, and to preserve coverage and protect rural hospitals.
Now we need to force our Republican U.S. Senators to join the fight. Call:
Sen. John McCain
Phone: 202-224-2235 in DC, 602-952-2410 in Phoenix, 928-445-0833 in Prescott, 520-670-6334 in Tucson.
Sen. Jeff Flake
Phone: 202-224-4521 in DC, 602-840-1891 in Phoenix, 520-575-8633 in Tucson.
Must Read Articles:
House Republicans Unveil Plan to Replace Health Law New York Times | Robert Pear and Thomas Kaplan | 3/6/2017
House Republicans release long-awaited plan to replace Obamacare The Washington Post | Amy Goldstein, Mike DeBonis and Kelsey Snell | 3/6/2017
Conservatives pan House Obamacare repeal bill Politico | Rachael Bade | 3/6/2017
The Republican Health Care Plan Includes A Tax Break For Insurance CEOs Buzzfeed | Paul McLeod | 3/6/2017
American Health Care Act: 5 things to know about the proposed Obamacare overhaul Austin American Statement | Michelle Ewing | 3/7/2017
Tax Credits Are No Substitute for Obamacare, Steven Rattner, New York Times 3/4/2017
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