Health care bill is horrendous
Sen. Mitch McConnell finally released the U.S. Senate version of the Obamacare repeal-and-replacement bill that was supposed to be less “mean” than the House bill. Instead, it is even more punishing to those who need it most, with deeper cuts to Medicaid proposed, plus it raises premiums and deductibles even more for those who don’t get subsidies. Weren’t those the biggest complaints about the Affordable Care Act (ACA), that premiums and deductibles were too high?
U.S. Rep. Tim Murphy and Pennsylvania’s Sen. Pat Toomey are tied to this horrendous legislation. Murphy has claimed for years that mental health care was a major issue for him, yet the Republican bills virtually eliminate coverage for mental health issues. Toomey was part of the 13-member team that wrote the Senate bill. The result of the Senate proposal is huge tax cuts going to the wealthy and corporations, paid for by real cuts to the health care of millions. The Senate bill doesn’t even try to improve on the flaws of the ACA, but simply transfers wealth from the middle class and poor to the rich.
What makes the Republican con job so egregious is that there are 61 nations around the world that successfully ensure health care to all of their citizens and guest workers for far less money than we spend. Every advanced nation and many emerging countries provide universal health care for an average of 11 percent of GDP while we spend over 17 percent of GDP. Many have been doing it for over 50 years. It’s not just for moral and ethical reasons, but these countries also recognize a nation must have a healthy workforce to compete in the global economy of the 21st century.
What’s worse is our outcomes are so poor. The U.S. maternal mortality rate is by far the worst of all developed nations, and our infant mortality rate is higher than 44 countries. Half of all births in the United States are covered by Medicaid. Cutting Medicaid by hundreds of billions of dollars virtually guarantees death rates for mothers and infants will rise. Yet Toomey and Murphy still claim to be pro-life. As professed Catholics, I would hope that they have heard the words of Sister Joan Chittister, a world-renowned author of 50 books who resides in Erie: “I do not believe that just because you’re opposed to abortion, that that makes you pro-life. In fact, I think in many cases, your morality is deeply lacking if all you want is a child born but not a child fed, not a child educated, not a child housed…”
Toomey, Murphy, their peers and supporters have a lot to explain when it comes to the evil of their hypocrisy.
Ron Christman
Washington