Repealing the Affordable Care Act would be a disaster for New York families and hospitals
Albany, NY – Elected officials, community leaders, and advocates gathered outside of the State Senate chamber to tell President-elect Trump and New York Congressional representatives not to take away the health care of 2.7 million New Yorkers. The Republican crusade to repeal the Affordable Care Act, if successful, would slash funding for Medicaid and trade guaranteed benefits in Medicare for skimpy private insurance vouchers with huge out-of-pocket expenses for seniors and big limits on choice of doctors and hospitals.
“I have a simple message today for President-elect Trump and the Republican Congressional majorities in both houses of Congress: don’t take away our health care,” said Bob Cohen, Policy Director of Citizen Action of New York and a member of the Health Care for All New York steering committee. “Over 2.7 million New Yorkers will lose coverage if the ACA is repealed, and every one of them is someone’s family member, friend, child or parent. Don’t be fooled: repeal is not an effort to improve our health care, but a return to the days when insurance companies could deny people with pre-existing conditions, when people were duped into buying health plans with skimpy coverage, and when too many relied on emergency rooms for their care, raising costs for everyone.”
This week, the U.S. Senate took the first step towards repealing the ACA by voting to proceed with debate on a budget resolution that would provide for ACA repeal. President-Elect Trump and the Republican leadership in both houses of Congress have declared ACA repeal is among their highest priorities.
“The Affordable Care Act has provided millions of Americans with access to health insurance, whereas formerly they had none,” said New York State Assemblymember Phil Steck (110th A.D.). “As an unabashed advocate of single payer health insurance, I am well aware that the ACA has not and cannot solve the terrible problem of high health costs in this State or this nation. Nonetheless, the ACA has made a difference in the lives of millions of Americans.”
“The potential repeal of the Affordable Care Act would impact an astounding one million New Yorkers now receiving care and could financially cripple our economy,” said New York State Assemblymember Patricia Fahy (109th A.D.). “Let’s keep New York healthy and not turn our backs on them and millions more across our country who now have health coverage.”
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