Graham-Cassidy ACA Repeal Bill Another Attempt to Deny Americans Health Care Access

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Sept. 20 -- The California Department of Insurance issued the following statement by Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones regarding the Graham-Cassidy Affordable Care Act repeal bill:

"The Senate Republican leadership intends to irresponsibly jam through the Graham-Cassidy bill next week without meaningful hearings, without a full CBO score detailing its impact on health coverage and premiums, and without the opportunity for amendment or debate. It seems every month a new bill is floated that proposes to take years off of people's lives by denying them access to health care.

"Time and time again, the message from the public has been clear - don't take away our health care, don't destroy Medicaid, don't impose penalties on those with pre-existing conditions, don't impose limits on lifetime benefits, don't remove coverage for maternity care or mental health or any other essential service, don't defund Planned Parenthood - what part of "no" don't these Republican lawmakers understand?

"This bill would devastate the health safety net Americans have relied on for 50 years, placing billions of dollars in costs on states and imperiling health coverage for Californians. In the end, states are left holding the bag for the Medicaid program due to federal funding levels that fail to consider actual medical costs or economic downturns, and are designed to grow at a rate less than inflation, placing tremendous strain on state budgets.

"If the Graham-Cassidy bill passes out of the Senate next week, Republicans representing California in Congress, such as Representative Issa of Orange County, and Majority Leader McCarthy of Kern County, will be faced with a choice: will they protect the health of Californians, and California's ability to pay for education, public safety, and infrastructure, by rejecting this bill, or will they bend to President Trump's need for a "win," heedless of the impact on their constituents?

"As California's elected Insurance Commissioner, responsible for the largest insurance market in the country, I join the American Association of Retired Persons, the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society

"Cancer Action Network, the March of Dimes, the National Heath Council, the American Diabetes Association, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, the Arthritis Foundation, and the Cystic Fibrosis Association and many others in opposing Graham-Cassidy. I also join the governors of Colorado, Ohio, Alaska, Montana, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Louisiana, Nevada, Massachusetts, and Vermont in opposing the Republican leadership's rush to ram this bill through, without regard for its impact on millions of Americans."