Rep. Sarbanes Issues Statement on Secret Senate ‘Health Care’ Bill

WASHINGTON, June 23 -- Rep. John Sarbanes, D-Md., issued the following statement after Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell revealed the details of his so-called health care bill:

"Senator McConnell's bill - which was concocted behind closed doors and kept secret from the American people for weeks - is just as cruel, immoral and inhumane as the bill crafted by House Republicans. It will force millions of Americans to lose their health insurance, with a disproportionate impact on the elderly, people with disabilities, children and the poor.

"It will allow insurance companies to discriminate against their customers and charge people more money based on their age, gender and whether they have a pre-existing condition. It will deprive hospitals and other health care providers of critical funding for services to the community. It will put treatment programs out of reach for millions of people who are struggling with opioid addiction. And perhaps most egregiously, this bill will lower the quality of care and raise health care costs for average citizens while giving a massive tax cut to the wealthiest Americans.

"It's no wonder that physicians, hospitals, patients, seniors and more than 75 percent of the American people are against this bill. I am deeply opposed to this morally bankrupt proposal that is masquerading as a health care bill, and I will continue to fight it with every fiber of my being."