Statement by Sister Carol Keehan, DC, President & Chief Executive Officer
Catholic Health Association of the United States (CHA)

June 22, 2017 – CHA is strongly opposed to the Senate Better Care Reconciliation Act. Just like the House passed American Health Care Act, the Senate proposal will have a devastating impact on our nation's most vulnerable populations. After weeks of working behind closed doors, and despite claims that the Senate would start over and develop its own legislation, there is very little that differs from the House bill. The small tweaks made in the newly released Senate bill do not change the fact that millions will lose their health care especially through a complete restructuring and deep federal funding reduction to the Medicaid program.

We can and must do better on behalf of all those who rely on our nation's health care programs and providers. We recommend a new bipartisan focus to make improvements in our health care system that will stabilize the insurance market, improve affordability and strengthen and expand health coverage. We ask Congress to ensure that the funds currently supporting health care programs remain in the system under any legislative proposal, instead of being diverted for tax cuts for the more fortunate. And above all, we urge our elected officials always to keep in mind the unborn and the many millions of poor individuals and vulnerable families who will be affected by any changes to our health care system.

Download PDF Version of the CHA Statement

The Catholic Health Association of the United States is the national leadership organization of the Catholic health ministry, representing the largest not-for-profit provider of health care services in the nation.

• 1 in 6 patients in the U.S. is cared for in a Catholic hospital each day.
• Catholic health care, comprised of more than 2,200 hospitals, nursing homes, long-term care facilities, systems, sponsors, and related organizations serve the full continuum of health care across our nation.