Rep. Bera Issues Statement on Updated Impact of House-Passed Health Care Repeal Bill

WASHINGTON, May 26 -- Rep. Ami Bera, D-Calif., issued the following news release:

Today, Rep. Ami Bera (D-CA), issued the following statement after nonpartisan experts determined the impact of the House Majority's bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office's updated report on the latest version of the House-passed health care bill, 23 million hardworking Americans will lose their health care, premiums will rise by more than 20 percent by next year, and the bill will make it harder for older Americans and those with preexisting conditions to purchase health care.

"Just as we suspected, the version of this bill that was rammed through the House would still kick millions of hardworking Americans off their health care, force patients to pay more for less coverage, and make it harder for people with preexisting conditions and seniors to get health care," said Rep. Bera. "As a doctor, I'm urging Democrats and Republicans to come together to fix the Affordable Care Act and make it better because we cannot play politics with people's lives."

According to the nonpartisan CBO, "people who are less healthy (including those with preexisting or newly acquired medical conditions) would ultimately be unable to purchase comprehensive nongroup health insurance at premiums comparable to those under current law, if they could purchase it at all."

Rep. Bera is one of two Democratic doctors in Congress, and before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives served as the Chief Medical Officer to Sacramento County, practiced internal medicine, and taught at the UC Davis School of Medicine.