Cleaver: Graham-Cassidy rips away the promise of affordable health care

(From Fifth District Congressman Emanuel Cleaver)

When people review the latest version of the Trumpcare bill, they will see this attempt is even worse than the first. The extreme version of Trumpcare, now the proposed Graham-Cassidy bill, introduced by Senators Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Bill Cassidy (R-LA), would rip away the promise of affordable quality health care in America. In the state of Missouri, it would rob insurance coverage from 534,000 people in 2027.

Republicans in the Senate want to rush this to a vote next week - without a score by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The Graham-Cassidy bill has not been fully evaluated by the CBO and has not been subject to hearings in the House or Senate. We simply cannot be so reckless with the healthcare of millions of Americans. The Graham-Cassidy bill would devastate some of our most vulnerable citizens; veterans, seniors, women, working families, people with pre-existing conditions and rural communities.

It slashes Medicaid funding by $236 billion dollars between the years 2020-2026 by limiting the amount of funding states would receive. For people with pre-existing conditions, the cost of healthcare would increase astronomically – resulting in higher deductibles and annual limits on their care.

Nearly all of the health care industry is opposed to the legislation, including: the American Medical Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Physicians, the American Hospital Association, the Children’s Hospital Association, the Catholic Health Association of the United States, America’s Health Insurance Plans, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association.

There is room for improvement when it comes to the Affordable Care Act but rather than attempting to pass another version of Trumpcare, Congress should work in a bipartisan manner to up with an improved plan – one that protects access to healthcare for all Americans.