Rep. Esty Issues Statement on GOP Health Care Bill

WASHINGTON, March 7 -- Rep. Elizabeth Esty, D-Conn., issued the following statement regarding the health care bill released by GOP leaders:

"Access to health care is a right. While the Affordable Care Act has helped a lot of Americans gain access to quality, affordable health coverage, I have always said it is not perfect and needs to be improved.

"But the bill released by Republican leaders is not a serious proposal to help Americans get better health care or save money. That's why House Republicans are attempting to jam this bill through the House without providing answers to basic questions like what the bill's effect would be on the deficit, the uninsured rate, Medicare solvency, or the solvency of rural hospitals.

"The promise that this bill would preserve health care for Americans with pre-existing conditions is a fiction. Without the subsidies provided under the Affordable Care Act, even if these Americans are offered coverage by an insurance company, the coverage will be unaffordable for many of them. Millions of other Americans will pay more for less. Low- and middle-income people will see their costs rise sharply as they get older, even as the quality of their coverage falls. And as if that weren't enough, the bill seeks to score more political points by depriving low-income women and women in rural areas of access to vital preventive services including breast exams, diabetes tests, cancer screenings, and wellness exams.

"Everywhere I go in Connecticut, I hear from people who are afraid that they will be collateral damage in Republican leaders' political crusade to repeal the Affordable Care Act. If this bill passes, some of these families will face the terrible prospect of giving up their home or filing for bankruptcy to finance desperately needed medical care for a child or spouse, or worse, go without care altogether. As I have said, I am committed to ensuring families throughout Connecticut have access to quality, affordable health care. But the Republicans proposal does just the opposite. The GOP bill should not be considered a reasonable alternative to the Affordable Care Act and must be rejected."

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