Members of Hawaii’s congressional delegation are seizing on the Congressional Budget Office’s analysis of a repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act to say how much they hate the proposed bill.
U.S. Sen Brian Schatz took to the floor of the Senate on Tuesday to say, 鈥淭rumpcare is one of the worst pieces of legislation I鈥檝e seen in decades.”
He added, “There鈥檚 no doubt that there鈥檚 plenty of room for improvement in existing law, but Trumpcare does not improve health care for Americans. It implodes it. And that is a threat to the progress we鈥檝e made these past seven years. It鈥檚 a threat to one-sixth of the economy. And most of all, it鈥檚 a threat to at least 24 million people who stand to lose their health insurance.鈥
U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa doesn’t like the Obamacare replacement, either. She listed a few points gleaned from the CBO report, which was released Monday:
- 24 million Americans will lose their health coverage 鈥 including 14 million in 2018 alone;
- 19 percent of the non-elderly population will be uninsured in 2026, compared to 10 percent in 2026 under current law;
- the bill would have the effect of slashing Medicaid by $880 billion over the next 10 years;
- under the GOP bill, a 64-year-old with an income of $26,500 in the individual market will pay $12,900 more in their premiums each year; and
- by defunding Planned Parenthood for one year, the bill would have the result of many women losing access to care, including contraceptives and other family planning services.
“Unfortunately, the CBO report validates my concerns regarding the potential impact a Republican ACA repeal bill will have on health care coverage in Hawaii, where approximately 95 percent of adults and 100 percent percent of children are currently insured,” Hanabusa said in a press release Monday. “If the Republican bill is passed out of the House and Senate and signed into law by President Trump, Hawaii residents will see changes to their health care insurance and those changes, unfortunately, will disproportionately affect those who are elderly, sick and poor.”
Hanabusa and Schatz are Democrats. So is U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, who had this to say Monday about the聽American Health Care Act (or聽Trumpcare, named聽for President Donald Trump, or Ryancare, named for House Speaker Paul Ryan):
鈥淭he CBO released the AHCA cost estimate today, confirming what many have been saying 鈥 the AHCA is really a handout to insurance and pharmaceutical companies that will further exacerbate the burden on American families. While corporations rake in over $600 billion in tax breaks, our seniors will see their costs rise and low-income Americans will see their coverage drop completely.”
Listen to Sen. Mazie Hirono’s recent remarks in the Senate regarding health care:
Hawaii’s other Democrat in Washington, U.S. Sen. Mazie Hirono, also took to the Senate floor to express her views on the proposed health care plan. She spoke March 9, during the Senate’s consideration of the Trump administration’s appointee to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
“Over the past eight years, President Obama and the Democratic Party have been fighting to make sure that everyone in this country has access to affordable, quality health insurance,” Hirono said in part. “President Trump, and his allies in Congress do not share this commitment. Instead of debating how best to expand access, they are fighting with each other to see just how many people they can kick off insurance rolls.”
Hirono was also among our delegates sharing their views on social media:
. continues to deal in . CBO score confirms would be devastating for 24 mil losing insurance
鈥 Senator Mazie Hirono (@maziehirono)
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Chad Blair is the politics editor for Civil Beat. You can reach him by email at cblair@civilbeat.org or follow him on X at .