House reconciliation bill would take insurance coverage away from millions and roll back clean air and climate protections

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Media Relations

Statement from APHA Executive Director Dr. Georges C. Benjamin, MD

The reconciliation bill under consideration in the U.S. House of Representatives would eliminate health coverage for more than 13 million individuals, including millions in the Medicaid program and millions more who currently receive coverage and premium subsidies through the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance Marketplace. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the new Medicaid work reporting requirements included in the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s portion of the bill alone would lead to 8.6 million individuals losing their Medicaid coverage. These numbers paint a devastating picture of preventable suffering.

The bill also attacks access to reproductive health care for Medicaid recipients by making Planned Parenthood ineligible for reimbursements for services provided to Medicaid patients.

The ACA’s Medicaid expansion and other ACA coverage provisions have significantly reduced the uninsured rate from 49 million before the ACA to 26 million today. The proposed legislation would remove access to affordable, quality health care services that millions of Americans rely on, taking us backward and making the nation much less healthy.

In addition to the significant cuts to health coverage, the bill would also roll back important programs to reduce air pollution and combat climate change. Specifically, the bill would rescind grants offered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency through the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and rescind funding for programs to reduce air pollution near schools, monitor air pollution in communities across the country and reduce diesel emissions, among others. The bill would also repeal EPA’s final clean vehicle standards and other rules to reduce pollution from the transportation sector, which contributes significant vehicle pollution to our communities.

This legislation does nothing to improve public health. Instead, it would undermine much of the progress we have made to expand access to affordable, quality health insurance and implement other evidence-based measures to protect the public’s health. We urge the House to reject this bill and instead work in a bipartisan manner on legislation to improve public health and expand access to health care for all Americans.

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The American Public Health Association champions optimal, equitable health and well-being for all. With our broad-based member community and 150-year perspective, we influence federal policy to improve the public’s health. Learn more at www.apha.org.