House pulls bill that would strip health insurance from millions of Americans
Friday afternoon, the U.S. House of Representatives pulled the American Health Care Act (AHCA). The bill was projected by the Congressional Budget Office to cause 24 million Americans to lose health insurance by 2026, and Medicaid would be cut by $880 billion. Last-minute amendments to the bill, which were unable to be scored by the CBO before the vote, would have undone even more-life saving insurance protections.
Nebraska Appleseed Executive Director Rebecca Gould issued the following statement in response:
“This is a victory for Nebraska seniors, working families, and children,” Gould said. “Our older adults and people with low incomes would have been the hardest hit by this bill, with thousands of people seeing insurance prices spike and losing their life-saving coverage. The bill’s cuts to Medicaid would have been especially damaging for many of the 230,000 Nebraska children, seniors, and people with disabilities who rely on the program for health coverage.
“We strongly urge Nebraska’s U.S. Congressional delegation to move forward focusing on health policy that maintains vital insurance protections and allows every Nebraskan to get the health care they need.”
Where does this leave medicaid expansion in Nebraska?