“This CBO score highlights what we already know—the AHCA is cruel, deadly, and irresponsible. It takes our country in the wrong direction and is beyond repair.”
For Immediate Release: May 24, 2017
Contact: Ashley Wilson, 202-601-7856
WASHINGTON, D.C. – In response to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report on the American Health Care Act, Sister Simone Campbell, SSS, Executive Director of NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice said:
“Today, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office shed light on the human impact of the American Health Care Act (AHCA), which 217 House Republicans voted for on May 4, 2017. The report shows these Republicans voted to take healthcare coverage from 23 million people, by slashing the crucial Medicaid program by $834 billion in 10 years, raising premiums for older and sicker Americans, and discriminating against those with pre-existing conditions. Overall, this bill would make our nation as a whole less healthy and secure.
“These numbers are staggering, but we know they represent millions of families and individuals who will be devastated by these wrong-headed policies. Many of these people are NETWORK members – a family with a daughter with complex medical needs no longer able to afford care on their own, an older American forced to leave her nursing home, and a family facing the choice between food and medicine – and these are just a few of the impossible situations these unconscionable Medicaid cuts could lead to. This is not the faithful way forward and must be stopped.
“At its heart, this bill has always been not actually about healthcare, but rather a gigantic tax give-away of over $660 billion to the very wealthiest people and corporations in our nation. It not only violates our faith’s teaching on caring for vulnerable people, but it also violates our nation’s values by promoting the interests of the few over the common good.
“This CBO score highlights what we already knew—the AHCA is cruel, deadly, and irresponsible. It takes our country in the wrong direction and is beyond repair. The Senate must stop striking fear into the hearts of so many families and end all consideration of this flawed legislation.
“We urge Senators to consider NETWORK’s 10 Commandments of Healthcare Reform based on our faith’s teaching to protect the most vulnerable. The AHCA fails every single commandment. We urge Senators to scrap this unpopular bill and listen to their constituents. Go back to the drawing board, and come up with real solutions to the problems people face.“
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NETWORK, advocates for justice inspired by Catholic sisters, educates, organizes, and lobbies for economic and social transformation. They have a more than 40-year track record of lobbying for critical federal programs that support those at the margins and prioritize the common good. www.networklobby.org