Pittsburgh bishop calls Senate GOP health care bill ‘morally unacceptable’

June 30--Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh Bishop David Zubik on Friday called a Senate Republican health care proposal "morally unacceptable," saying its proposed cuts to Medicaid would make quality health care inaccessible for millions of people.

A draft of the Senate proposal would scale back money for states that expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, which allows states to expand the program to cover not just people with disabilities or children but anyone with a low enough income. The proposal would also reduce spending over time for the program in general.

State human services officials have estimated the changes would reduce the federal contribution to Medicaid in Pennsylvania by about $3 billion per year starting in 2020.

"On behalf of those whose voices may not be heard at this critical time, those living in poverty, in nursing homes and with disabilities, I urge our senators to remove from the proposed Senate health care bill provisions that will severely limit health care access for those most in need," Zubik said in a statement.

The statement points out states "with already strained budgets" would have to take on the costs of treating poor and disabled people, including the 2.6 million enrolled in Medicaid in Pennsylvania.

Zubik's letter cites the position of the chairman of the U.S. Bishops' Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, who said the Senate bill retains many problems of a similar proposal that passed the House last month.

The statement makes passing reference to a lawsuit the Pittsburgh diocese filed over a requirement in the Affordable Care Act that religious nonprofits either provide health care that includes contraceptive coverage or notify the government or an insurer that the nonprofit will not cover contraception. The Pittsburgh suit objected to the notification requirement, saying it undermined the church's separation from government.

The suit went to the US Supreme Court, which ordered a lower court to guide the church and the government to an agreement.

Wes Venteicher is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 412-380-5676, [email protected] or via Twitter @wesventeicher.

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