Sen. Markey Joined by Hospital and Health Care Leaders and Advocates to Oppose Devastating Trumpcare Proposal, Repeal of Affordable Care Act

BOSTON, June 16 -- The office of Sen. Edward J. Markey, D-Mass., issued the following news release:

Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) was joined today at a press conference at Cambridge Health Alliance by the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association, Health Care For All, Cambridge Health Alliance, elected officials, and concerned patients to decry efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with legislation that would make drastic cuts to Medicaid and roll-back health coverage for millions of Americans. The Senate Republican legislation, which is anticipated to be similar to the American Health Care Act that passed last month in the U.S. House of Representatives, is currently being crafted in secret so it can be fast-tracked through the reconciliation process without having any Senate committee hearings before a final Senate vote. Trumpcare, as it is called, would rip coverage away from 23 million Americans and cut Medicaid by more than $800 million, disproportionately harming the poor, the disabled, seniors and the nation's most vulnerable.

"Like a thief in the night, Senate Republicans are putting final touches on legislation that will rob millions of Americans of health coverage and represent some of the worst legislative malpractice in the history of Congress. Republicans may try to hide this bill because they know how bad it is and unpopular it will be, but we must cut through that secrecy and demand transparency," said Senator Markey. "By repealing the Affordable Care Act and gutting Medicaid, Trumpcare steals from the most vulnerable to give tax breaks to the most comfortable. That is cruel, that is inhumane, and that is immoral."

"The legislative changes now being considered in Congress would dismantle the most important elements of Obamacare that are in fact working as intended and working well,"said Lynn Nicholas, FACHE, President & CEO of the Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association. "Our state's hospitals urge the U.S. Senate to remember what is at stake and to vote against any legislation that would undermine the ability of hospitals to continue our lifesaving and compassionate work."

"Massachusetts is not ready to turn back the clocks on near universal coverage in our state through the Affordable Care Act to a time when greater than 10% of our residents are uninsured," said Patrick Wardell, CEO of Cambridge Health Alliance, a major public safety net health system. "With compassion for our patients as a guide, we call upon the U.S. Senate to protect patients first and reject harmful proposals that deeply cut Medicaid and unravel coverage affecting everyone including those most in need."

"Now is the time to act. We can stop this dangerous bill," said Brian Rosman, Director of Policy and Government Relations at Health Care For All. "We are calling on everyone in Massachusetts to reach out to friends, family and colleagues in other states to encourage them to call their Senators. They need to ask them to vote against this effort to dismantle Medicaid and take away health insurance from millions of Americans."