Reps. Neal, Levin Statements on Draft GOP Health Care Proposal

WASHINGTON, Feb. 24 -- Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., ranking Democratic member of the House Ways and Means Committee, issued the following news release:

Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard Neal (D-MA) and Health Subcommittee Ranking Member Sander Levin (D-MI) today released the following statements after a report (http://www.politico.com/story/2017/02/house-republicans-obamacare-repeal-package-235343) of a draft Republican health care proposal:

Ranking Member Neal:

"There isn't a single redeeming quality in the House Republican draft health legislation; rather, it's a recipe for disaster for our nation's health care program. It would give a massive tax cut to the wealthiest Americans while increasing taxes on middle-class workers by taxing their health benefits for the first time. It would harm seniors by allowing insurers to charge older Americans more for lower quality services and jeopardizing the Medicare trust fund. It also would significantly cut and cap the program that provides health coverage to more than 70 million Americans, including seniors in nursing homes and children living with severe disabilities. This is nothing but a drastic and devastating step backward for Americans."

Health Subcommittee Ranking Member Levin:

"The Republican draft bill that was reported on today is not a repair of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), or even a replacement. It is a complete demolition of health care coverage for millions of Americans.

"Not only would it roll back expanded health insurance under the ACA, it also would cut the federal commitment to the Medicaid program, threatening nursing care for seniors and health care for children. Additionally, the Republican draft would increase taxes on certain employer-sponsored health benefits, eliminate the requirement that larger employers provide health insurance to their employees, and offer tax credits only to those without work-based insurance. This toxic combination would encourage employers to drop health insurance for their workers, threatening coverage for the 177 million Americans who have employer-sponsored health plans.

"The GOP draft bill also represents a huge cost shift - from the federal government on to the states, and from the wealthy on to working families. Under the Republican draft, millions of middle class families will have to pay more for their health care, while millionaires will get enormous tax breaks."

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