Rep. Suozzi Issues Statement Prior to Votes on Republican Health Care Plan

WASHINGTON, March 23 -- Rep. Thomas Suozzi, D-N.Y., issued the following statement prior to the scheduled votes to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act:

"When I ran for Congress, I pledged to 'mend, not end' the Affordable Care Act. It wasn't a perfect law, but it expanded coverage to millions of people, ensured that those with pre-existing conditions were protected and allowed young adults to stay on their parents' plans until the age of 26. These were commonsense measures that helped countless Americans.

"Tonight, I will vote against the American Health Care Act, which would end the Affordable Care Act. This is a bad piece of legislation. It was rushed through marathon midnight subcommittee sessions so the American people couldn't see the details. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office says 24 million hard-working Americans will be thrown off their policies. Premiums and deductibles will skyrocket, which will increase out-of-pocket costs. It shortens the life of Medicare and ransacks funds that our seniors depend on for long-term care, while placing a crushing "age tax" on people aged 50-64, no matter how healthy they are. Tax breaks will go to the wealthy while our most vulnerable are stuck paying the bill. Finally, reductions in this legislation will result in over one billion dollars in cuts for New Yorkers - which is completely unacceptable.

"I call on House Republicans to stop what they're doing and work with their Democratic colleagues on bipartisan, commonsense measures that will provide high-quality, affordable health care to all Americans. They deserve nothing less."

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