PPHP Blasts Graham-Cassidy-Heller Proposal As the Worst ACA Repeal Bill Yet; Proposes to Defund Planned Parenthood
For Immediate Release: Sept. 20, 2017
Despite striking out three times in failed attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), GOP leaders are back at bat pushing the Graham-Cassidy bill in the Senate. Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic (PPHP) calls out the Graham-Cassidy bill as the worst ACA repeal proposal yet as it would destroy the health care framework and leave our most vulnerable residents at risk.
Statement by Vince Russell, President & CEO, Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic
“This latest version of Trumpcare blocks women from going to Planned Parenthood for preventive care, including birth control, cancer screenings, and STI testing and treatment. It slashes Medicaid, resulting in millions losing coverage. It ends nationwide protections for maternity coverage and other basic care for women. Thirteen million women could lose coverage to maternity care under this bill. It also allows insurance companies to charge people with pre-existing condition exorbitant premiums.”
“Congress should listen to the American people and focus on bipartisan fixes to expand access to care. It is wrong and irresponsible to take women in America backwards. People want to see policymakers working to improve health care access, not take it away.”
Background:
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has previously estimated that repeal-without-replace would cause 32 million people to lose coverage. In New York State, previous estimates for prior repeal plans projected that if the ACA were repealed, more than 2.7 million New Yorkers would lose their health coverage. With the additional restrictions imposed by Medicaid Block Grants, Graham-Cassidy is expected to be even more devastating.
Graham-Cassidy would cause many millions of New Yorkers to lose coverage, radically restructure and deeply cut Medicaid, eliminate or weaken protections for people with pre-existing conditions, increase out-of-pocket costs for individual market consumers and block millions of people from going to Planned Parenthood for preventive care, including birth control, cancer screenings, and STI testing and treatment.
Fast facts on Graham-Cassidy from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities:
- An estimated 32 million will lose coverage nationally
- Ends Medicaid expansion that has helped 11 million Americans gain coverage (According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, over 2 million New Yorkers gained health insurance coverage through our state’s Medicaid expansion)
- Cuts coverage for seniors on fixed income, children and people with disabilities
- Ends federal protection for pre-existing conditions, prohibition on lifetime limits and essential benefits
- Substantially increases out-of-pocket costs for low and middle-income Americans by ending cost-sharing payments and premium tax credits
- Ends all funding for the Affordable Care Act by 2026
- Premiums will likely spike by 20% next year
- Provides no funding for recessions, natural disasters, public health emergencies or prescription drug price spikes
- Eliminates funding for Planned Parenthood
- Would likely be presented to the House as “take it or leave it” if it passes the Senate
- Due to Senate rules, Republicans can ram this through the Senate with just 50 votes and 2 minutes of debate on an issue that would impact 1/6 of the American economy
- These rules expire on Sept. 30. If they can’t pass this bill by then, they will need 60 votes