July 13, 2017 – Today’s release of the updated Senate Better Care Reconciliation Act reinforces the fact that this bill is so flawed it cannot be fixed. The proposed changes do not amend the core issue that this bill will ultimately take health care away from millions of our nation’s most vulnerable populations. For this reason we continue to encourage Senators to oppose this bill and to work together towards improvements in our health care system that will stabilize the insurance market, improve affordability, and strengthen and expand the coverage gains already achieved.
The latest version of the bill would still radically restructure the Medicaid program through per capita caps or block grants which would shift the cost burden onto local and state governments, providers and individual beneficiaries. States would be focused on ways to cut eligibility, benefits and provider payments rather than ways to improve care and lower costs over the long term by creating a better delivery system. Additionally, this bill will harm older Americans who will face significantly higher costs through age rating and undermine protections for people with pre-existing conditions by allowing insurance companies to waive essential health benefits and make coverage for pre-existing conditions unaffordable.
This is a critical time for the people we serve and especially critical for those who are the most vulnerable. Thousands of our members have taken action to urge their Senators to oppose this bill. With less than 12% of support for the BCRA according to
Suffolk/USA Today, we hope that Senators will listen to their constituent’s concerns and reject this bill.
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, serves the full continuum of health care across our nation.