The NYC Health + Hospitals which represents Harlem Hospital, today in passing the American Health Care Act yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives committed a grave disservice to the nation. The rationale behind this callous piece of legislation has everything to do with political expediency, and nothing to do with making Americans healthier. It would pay for tax cuts for the most fortunate by precipitating enormous cuts in health care for the most vulnerable, and is opposed by experts spanning the health care industry, including the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, the American Cancer Society and many, many others.
As a result of the House’s action, hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers are a step closer to being stripped of their health insurance coverage. Repealing the Affordable Care Act would cut billions from the Medicaid program resulting in huge setbacks to work that has been done to make New Yorkers healthier. And the financial cost to safety-net systems like NYC Health + Hospitals would be in the tens of millions at a time when we can least afford to absorb such a blow and continue to carry out our essential mission to deliver high-quality care to all New Yorkers.
Fortunately, our country’s 100 Senators—Democrats, Republicans, and Independents—will have more time to review this abominable bill and recognize that the funding added at the last minute to support patients with pre-existing conditions is simply window-dressing and cannot begin to address the real need. There’s no question that this bill would leave countless Americans more vulnerable, and we urge our country’s Senators to do better.
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