Civil and Human Rights Coalition Condemns Republican Health Care Bill

WASHINGTON – Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, released the following statement on the American Health Care Act: 

“As has been widely reported, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has projected that the Republican American Health Care Act would cause 24 million Americans to lose health coverage by 2026. It’s clear that this legislation fails to uphold President Trump’s repeated pledges that changes to the Affordable Care Act would ensure that everyone is covered and that no one would lose their coverage.

The Republican proposal would disproportionately harm people of color and underserved populations. Those affected the most include individuals and families living in poverty, people of color, women, seniors, people with disabilities, and immigrants.

The Affordable Care Act has increased the number of people with health insurance to historic highs, with particularly noteworthy gains for Latinos, African Americans, and Native Americans. Medicaid coverage, including the Medicaid expansion, is particularly critical for underserved individuals, and especially people of color and women. Any restructuring, new restrictions, or rollbacks to Medicaid and its expansion could greatly reduce the access to health care for those who rely on the program.

Similarly, the proposal to block all Medicaid patients from receiving care at Planned Parenthood health centers will have a disproportionate effect on poor families and people of color and, according to the CBO, could further jeopardize women’s access to preventive health care.

The Republican plan helps the wealthy and hurts most of the rest of us.  It will put health coverage out of the reach of millions of low and middle income Americans while putting more money in the pockets of the wealthy. It should be rejected.”

Wade Henderson is president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.