The Senate tax bill is another attack on health care: it would repeal the individual mandate of the Affordable Care Act, and according to the Congressional Budget Office, it would cause an estimated 13 million people to lose their insurance.
In response to the impending vote in the Senate, Consulting Medical Director of Physicians for Reproductive Health, Dr. Anne Davis issued the following statement:
“As physicians, we care about the Senate tax bill because we care about our patients’ ability to access affordable and quality health care services. This tax bill will damage important federal health care programs: Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act. Estimates show the wealthiest will benefit from the tax cuts at the expense of Americans most in need of resources.
This bill makes it harder for everyday people to stay healthy and raise a family.
Medicaid is so important to sexual and reproductive health, and cuts to the program hurt women. One in five women of reproductive age is enrolled Medicaid, and the program finances nearly half of all births in the country. Cuts to Medicaid also disproportionately impact women of color. Without this coverage, women of color will lose access to services like contraception, breast and cervical cancer screenings, and well-woman visits that are essential to combating pervasive health disparities.
The tax bill repeals the individual mandate, which helps ensure that healthy people sign up for coverage, keeping the market affordable for everyone. According to the Congressional Budget Office, repealing this provision would lead to millions of patients being uninsured and could make health care drastically more expensive by increasing premiums.
As a doctor, I care about families and their health care, and this bill makes it harder for everyday people to stay healthy and raise a family. My patients need Congress to stop playing politics with their health.”