Gov. Malloy and Lt. Gov. Wyman Statements on Congressional Republican Healthcare Proposal

HARTFORD, Conn., March 7 -- Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman, D-Conn., issued the following news release:

Governor Dannel P. Malloy and Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman today released the following statement regarding the healthcare proposal unveiled last night by Congressional Republicans:

Governor Malloy said, "For seven years, Republicans in Congress have promised to deliver an alternative to the Affordable Care Act that would cover more Americans with better care at a cheaper cost. For seven years, they have failed to deliver, and their latest proposal also comes alarmingly short in attempting to deliver on these promises. In fact, it will set back the progress that has been made to enable so many of our neighbors to finally afford quality health insurance. In particular, their plan would drive up costs for individuals and families and gut the expansion of Medicaid that has benefited so many in our country. Hard-working Americans deserve access to quality, affordable insurance, and this plan does the opposite - it risks the coverage that millions already have, drives up costs, and limits care. If enacted, this proposal would cause thousands of Americans to die needlessly."

Lt. Governor Wyman said, "This proposal will badly damage hundreds of thousands of Connecticut residents. Under the new Republican bill, the rollback to women's healthcare will cause costs to rise and access to care to drop. Older adults will pay about double what they pay now, and in Connecticut more than 85,000 residents who bought health insurance through the exchange with the help of federal subsidies would see their costs increase. The tax credits promised in the Republican plan do not offset the funding available in the subsidies - that increases costs for low-income people and makes it harder for them to buy insurance. The keys to the Affordable Care Act are lower healthcare costs and expanding high-quality healthcare. This proposal doesn't do either of those - in fact, it makes costs and care more burdensome and puts coverage out of reach for many residents."

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