AFSCME President Saunders Comments on Senate Health Care Bill’s CBO Score

WASHINGTON, June 26 -- The AFSCME (American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees - AFL-CIO) issued the following statement by President Lee Saunders on the Congressional Budget Office's score of the Senate health care bill:

"They say bad things come in threes. This is the third Congressional Budget Office score of health care legislation this year and just like the two that came before, it demonstrates a blueprint to decimate the health care system, to punish the sick, the elderly, the poor and middle-income people. If the Senate bill were to become law, 22 million fewer people would have health insurance, while Medicaid would be cut by $772 billion. The evidence is mounting: this bill is a bouquet of flowers for the wealthiest Americans but a punch in the gut for working families.

"It's no wonder the authors of this bill are struggling to cobble together 50 votes. It's no wonder doctors, nurses and patient advocates - people on the front lines of our health care system - oppose this legislation and the House version as well. It's no wonder Americans nationwide are standing up and speaking out against a plan that will make them, their families and their neighbors more vulnerable. This bill needs and deserves to go down in defeat."