For Immediate Release: Thursday, November 16, 2017
Contact: Lindsey Giostra, lindsey.giostra@
House Votes to Force Health Care Cuts to Pay for Tax Giveaways to Big Corporations and the Very Wealthy
Washington, D.C. – After the U.S. House of Representatives voted for massive tax cuts for the very wealthy and big corporations that will force cuts to Medicare and Medicaid, Health Care for America Now Co-Directors Ethan Rome and Margarida Jorge released the following statement:
“Congressional Republicans will stop at nothing to deliver huge tax giveaways to big corporations and the very wealthy – including making massive cuts to critical health care programs like Medicaid and Medicare. After spending months failing to repeal the Affordable Care Act and take health care away from millions, the GOP passed tax cuts that will force similarly devastating cuts to health care for seniors, children, working families and people with disabilities.
“What’s more, the Republican tax cut plan will increase taxes on 47 million poor and middle-class Americans while giving an average tax cut of $62,000 to the wealthiest 1% of taxpayers. Multi-national corporations like Pfizer, Wells Fargo and Apple will receive over 70% of the tax cuts in the bill. That’s not tax reform – it’s a tax heist. This is nothing more than a massive tax break for millionaires, billionaires and corporations paid for by everyone else.
“Now the Senate is talking about repealing a portion of the Affordable Care Act in order to pay for permanent tax cuts for corporations in its version of the bill. Repealing the individual responsibility provision will take health care away from 13 million Americans and increase premiums by about 10% for millions more. Those cuts are in addition to trillions of dollars of cuts to Medicaid and Medicare and other critical programs that families depend on.
“People will not forget this reprehensible vote. Every member of Congress who voted for this disaster of a plan will be held accountable. Members who turned their backs on their constituents and put the interests of their Republican donors over the needs of the people they represent will pay for this at the ballot box.”
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Health Care for America Now (HCAN) is the national grassroots coalition that ran a $60 million five-and-a-half year campaign from 2008-2013 to pass, protect, and promote the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and protect Medicare and Medicaid. HCAN has come back together to fight the Republicans’ all-out effort to take away America’s health care and put people at the mercy of the health insurance companies again.
