Today, a coalition of leading non-partisan, non-profit patient advocacy organizations issued a sharp rebuke following Senate passage of H.R. 1, warning of devastating coverage losses nationwide.“The Senate-passed bill represents a profound setback for millions of patients and their families, by threatening their ability to access care and undermining their financial stability.“This legislation will terminate health insurance for an estimated 17 million people by gutting Medicaid, dismantling key provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and failing to extend the enhanced tax credits. Instead of building on the historic coverage gains of the past decade, this legislation walks away from our nation’s commitment to affordable coverage by erecting barriers to care and destabilizing insurance markets. Its ripple effects will affect all Americans – through closure of rural hospitals and increases in costs for those fortunate enough to keep their coverage.“Patient advocates have repeatedly and vocally warned that H.R. 1 fails to protect the health and well-being of real people by tearing apart the critical programs they rely on for lifesaving care.“The bill slashes Medicaid funding—undermining coverage for low-income adults, children, seniors, and people with serious and chronic conditions – making even more devastating cuts than the House-passed legislation. It fails to reauthorize the ACA’s enhanced advance premium tax credits (APTCs), which have made marketplace coverage more affordable for more than 24 million Americans. And it includes damaging structural changes to the ACA, such as eliminating automatic re-enrollment and enrollment flexibilities, making it harder for people to get and stay covered.“Patients deserve better. At a time of rising costs and growing need, Americans simply cannot afford a bill that will throw millions off their coverage by gutting Medicaid and allowing vital ACA subsidies to expire. We urge the House to reject the Senate-passed bill. It’s time for Congress to focus on what Americans actually want – lower healthcare costs and access to high-quality, affordable health insurance coverage they can count on.”AiArthritis
American Kidney Fund
American Lung Association
Arthritis Foundation
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
Cancer Nation (formerly the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship)
Cancer Support Community
CancerCare
Crohn's & Colitis Foundation
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Epilepsy Foundation of America
EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases
Hemophilia Federation of America
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association
Immune Deficiency Foundation
Lupus Foundation of America
Lutheran Services in America
Muscular Dystrophy Association
National Bleeding Disorders Foundation
National Health Council
National Kidney Foundation
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
National Organization for Rare Disorders
National Patient Advocate Foundation
National Psoriasis Foundation
Pulmonary Hypertension Association
Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, Inc.
Susan G. Komen
The AIDS Institute
The Coalition for Hemophilia B
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
ZERO Prostate Cancer