Washington, DC – Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, issued the following statement on the U.S. House of Representatives’ vote today to pass the American Health Care Act, House Republicans’ bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act:
“All you need to know about this bill is that Republicans tried to exempt themselves from it before they got caught. That’s because they know it’s a raw deal. This legislation sets us on a path to the bad old days when insurance companies could refuse coverage to those with preexisting conditions and deny people health benefits that should be in every plan – like maternity and mental health care. And while the House Republicans jammed it through before the Congressional Budget Office had a chance to tell us how much this bill will cost or how many people will lose coverage, every indication is that it will leave millions of Americans without access to affordable health insurance. Rhode Islanders rely on the Affordable Care Act and it’s working here. If they want to improve it, that’s one thing, but this House bill will hurt Rhode Islanders.”
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