Press Release
Posted:
Washington – Today Rep. Mike Thompson (CA-05) slammed Republican efforts in a House Ways and Means Committee markup to undermine the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by repealing the employer mandate, undermining access to care for patients with pre-existing conditions, and ignoring the long-term impact of Administration-led sabotage of our health care system.
“This week’s markup was a sad excuse for action on health care that did not address high costs for consumers. Nor did it address the long-term effects that Republican sabotage of the Affordable Care Act is having on patients across our nation, while adding $92 billion to the national debt with no pay for. While some bills considered made small technical fixes, they do not fix the bigger issue – helping consumers cope with high health care costs that leave them deciding whether to pay their medical bills or put food on the table.
“Instead, today Republican leaders were more focused on considering legislation that tears down protections for patients with pre-existing conditions and allows them to be charged high costs or be denied care altogether. The bills reported out of committee today could drive up prices for older Americans, and open access to plans that do not guarantee essential services like maternity care, prescriptions, and mental health. This is an outrage. We should come back to the table and consider legislation that will end the sabotage and make a real difference in lowering costs and improving our health care system.”
Click here to watch a video of Thompson’s remarks from this week’s committee markup that concluded today.