Today the House took another step towards cutting health care from millions of Californians to fund a $1.5 trillion dollar tax break for wealthy individuals and corporations. The bill, which passed 227 to 205 will be especially hard on states like California. Despite that, almost every California Republican voted to pass this legislation with the exception of Darrell Issa (R-Vista), Dana Rohrabacher (R-Anaheim) and Tom McClintock (R-Elk Grove). CPEHN thanks them for their vote. The bill will hurt—not help–lower and middle class families, the elderly, children and communities of color.
This bill is an attack on our health care disguised as tax reform. Republicans want to fund their tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations by ending the individual mandate requirement under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This policy will cause:
- 13 million people to lose access to health care coverage
- A ten percent increase in insurance premiums
- Five million fewer people to enroll in Medicaid
The plan will also increase the tax burden on Californians, including those with chronic conditions by eliminating the deduction for medical expenses and scaling back the state and local tax deduction (SALT) which provides critical funding for local infrastructure projects and other priorities.
The Senate finance committee is expected to finish the mark-up of their version of the tax bill by the end of this week with a push for a full Senate vote the week after Thanksgiving break, Nov. 27th. The goal is to have a final bill on President Trump’s desk by Christmas.
CPEHN will continue to work with our partners and members to make our voices heard as the Senate gets ready to vote. We will not stand silently by to watch as the gains we have made to the health and well-being of our communities are stripped away by this harmful tax plan.
Next Steps:
Tweet today to hold those who voted for this devastating bill accountable and thank Democratic Representatives and GOP Representatives McClintock, Rohrabacher, and Issa for standing up to protect our care.
- Don’t let GOP fool you. Without the mandate, fewer healthy people will sign up, premiums will rise by aprox 10% to cover the costs of a less healthy insurance pool says CBO #GOPTaxScam
- Thank you @RepMcClintock @RepRohrabacher @DanaRohrabacher @DarrellIssa for putting people ahead of politics with your NO vote on #GOPTaxPlan
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The California Pan-Ethnic Health Network (CPEHN) is a statewide multicultural advocacy organization that works to improve the health of communities of color. Visit www.cpehn.org for more information.