Washington, DC– As the Senate tries to advance its latest health care repeal plan, the U.S. Conference of Mayors President and New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu released the following statement:
“The Graham-Cassidy ACA repeal and replace plan is a bad pill for the American healthcare system. The Senate leadership has once again engaged in exactly the back door, secretive dealings Senator McCain warned about when he voted ‘no’ on their last attempt to repeal the ACA. In this case, we fear Senate Republicans have produced a bill that would have the same, if not a deeper and more devastating, impact to the nation’s healthcare system and on millions of families across the country.
“We say ‘fear’ because we won’t know exactly how many people will be left uninsured by this bill because the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) will be unable to render a full analysis of the bill before the September 30 Senate deadline.
“What we do know is like earlier attempts, this bill would force Americans in cities big and small to pay more for less care and would end Medicaid expansion, which has been a lifeline for children, seniors, people with disabilities and substance use disorders. This proposal would let Washington walk away, and saddle state and local governments with the skyrocketing healthcare costs – forcing them to cover fewer people, reduce care, or make up the cost by cutting other needed programs.
“For mayors across the country, this bill is a nonstarter. We again urge Washington to start over, abandon these dangerous proposals and work with mayors and governors who are closest to the people to craft fixes to the current system and ensure access to affordable healthcare.”