Congressman Lujan Statement on Republican Bill to Repeal the Affordable Care Act

Congressman Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) releases statement regarding the release of CBO estimates regarding the Republican bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act

(Washington D.C.) – Today the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) confirmed what many of us in Congress have been saying for weeks, the Republican Repeal bill provides less coverage to fewer people at higher costs. We now know the price tag for this bill will include 24 million Americans losing their insurance entirely over the next few years, premium hikes that are estimated to be 15 to 20 percent higher than under current law for those who do manage to keep their plan, and the shifting of a $880 billion financial burden to state governments who are already struggling to balance their budgets and pay for essential services. 

This bill charges the disabled, senior citizens, women and children more than others, imposes a sick tax on middle class families and gives tax breaks to the very wealthy and to insurance company CEOs. Congressional Republicans are allowing insurance companies to push more health care costs onto people in the form of out-of-pocket payments. This means higher deductibles and higher out of pocket costs.  

At the hands of Congressional Republicans, states will be forced to increase taxes on their people, ration care, or drop people from their care. The GOP Repeal bill will leave more people without access to coverage and breaks President Trump’s promise that ‘everyone would be covered’ and the guarantees of Speaker Ryan that ‘no one would be worse off.’