CHCF Issues Statement on Passage of Affordable Care Act

OAKLAND, Calif., May 4 -- The California Health Care Foundation issued the following statement by President and CEO Sandra R. Hernandez in response to the House passage of the legislation that would undo major provisions of the Affordable Care Act:

"The guiding principle for health care is, 'First do no harm.' If it becomes law, this bill would do serious harm to tens of millions of Americans struggling to get by -- the very people who need affordable health care to reach their full potential. It is a penny-wise, pound-foolish policy that will force patients to forgo necessary care, leaving more Americans sicker and dying younger. It is particularly shocking that this momentous decision comes without the Congressional Budget Office estimate of the human and financial costs, even though that information is expected in a matter of days. America is better than this."