Press Releases

House Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard E. Neal (D-MA), House Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), and Senate Finance Committee Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR) released the following statement after the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that 5.7 million Americans could lose their health care under Republican proposals to undermine the Affordable Care Act (ACA):

“Cold, hard math paints a grim picture— the Republicans’ long pursued golden goose of dismantling and undermining the ACA means millions of Americans will see their premiums skyrocket and their care reduced or outright stolen. By not extending the improvements to the Premium Tax Credits, by using reconciliation to codify cruel new rules that will make it harder for people to get care, Trump and Republicans are opening the floodgates for the biggest theft of health coverage we have ever seen. The nonpartisan CBO is now telling us that 5.7 million stand to lose their care if Republicans get their way on the ACA, with the number rising when you factor in their cruel Medicaid cuts and additional legislative changes. 

“Their cruelty doesn’t stop there. Republicans aren’t just looking to hollow out Medicaid and the ACA — the Trump Administration’s rule would raise out-of-pocket costs for all privately insured Americans, including those with employment-based coverage, by $450 for individuals and $900 for families.

“Democrats for 15 years have embraced the potential of the ACA and what it means to the American people. At every opportunity, we have looked for ways to enhance and expand it so that every American can access care and nobody is left behind. Through our efforts, we have seen record enrollment in the ACA, last year, passing 24 million signing up for coverage.

“At the same time, Republicans have spent the last 15 years looking for every opportunity to dismantle our progress and strip health care away from the American people. Through their budget, their vision is for a poorer, sicker America. If they choose to not extend these credits, they are choosing to rip health care from millions. The horrific consequences will lie squarely at their feet." 

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