Twenty-three million fewer Americans would receive coverage if the American Health Care Act becomes law – yet another sign that this so-called health care reform bill is one of the most destructive acts ever to emerge from Congress. We also know that people with pre-existing conditions could be faced with exorbitant premiums, annual and lifetime limits on benefits, or no coverage at all – even for life-threatening conditions such as cancer and heart disease.

When the House approved this misguided bill earlier this month, members did not know how much it would cost or how many Americans would lose health coverage. We still do not know how many people will be harmed – or will even die — if this legislation becomes law. But we do know that the proposed cuts to Medicaid included in the AHCA – in excess of $800 billion – are but the tip of the iceberg in terms of what some in Congress and in the Trump administration want to do to our country’s health care system. Additional cuts proposed just this week by President Trump would push the level of cuts to Medicaid past the $1 trillion mark. That is unconscionable.

The Senate now has the opportunity to make sure the AHCA never sees the light of day. Senators should take every advantage of that opportunity. There are 23 million reasons why this bill must be defeated.

Deborah Weinstein, Executive Director of the Coalition on Human Needs, issued the above statement Wednesday in response to the CBO’s analysis of the House health care legislation. Receive posts from CHN's blog, Voices for Human Needs, in your inbox by subscribing today, and follow CHN on Facebook and Twitter.