Van Hollen: House Health Care Bill is Rotten at its Core

May 9, 2017

Contact: Bridgett Frey - 202-228-0668

Van Hollen: House Health Care Bill is Rotten at its Core

Washington, DC - Today U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen spoke on the Senate floor about the impacts of the Republican health care bill. Below are excerpts of his remarks:

"Just last week, we saw the House of Representatives jam through a piece of legislation that would wreak havoc on the health care system. In fact, many people are appropriately calling what they did 'Wealth Care,' because it represents a huge transfer of wealth away from caring for patients to the very wealthiest in our country, including many powerful special interests."

"I think everybody understands -- Republicans, Democrats, Independents alike - that the Affordable Care Act is not perfect and specifically that we need to address the issues within the Affordable Care Act exchanges. We need to address those issues to lower the deductibles, lower the copays, and make it more affordable."

"But the House Republican Wealth Care bill doesn't try to fix the exchanges. What it does is blow up the Affordable Care Act - and in the process, wreaks havoc on our entire health care system. You don't have to take my word for it. Just take a look at the long list of groups that have come out strongly, strongly opposed to the House bill."

"This House bill is rotten at its core. Its foundation was rotten when the Congressional Budget Office first looked at it - and then they made it even worse."

"For the American people, I think the greatest danger is that here in the Senate we're going to hear from a lot of Senators - they don't like the House bill just as it is, yes we're going to have to make some changes... Beware of people who say they're making a change that's meaningful when it's really only a cosmetic change, when it's really only a small change that then provides some kind of rationale or excuse for supporting a House bill that's rotten at its core."

"I want to close with one of the many stories that I've received, and I know many of us have received, from our constituents about how that House bill would wreak havoc in their lives... 'I'm 29 years old and was just diagnosed February 24th with breast cancer. I buy insurance myself and did so with the assistance from the Affordable Care Act. Without that program in place, I might not have gone in when I felt this lump. I might have waited much longer, just to be told that it was too late. Without this program, I would be bankrupted by the screenings alone to find out I'm dying. Someone told me not to make this political, but this is my life. It will literally be life or death for so many of us.'"