Debbie Wagner: Why are Republicans putting quality health care out of our reach?

The Congressional Republican health-care plan will be a disaster for working families. Their plan will take health care away from 24 million people across the country and impose painful taxes on working people. Experts predict that out-of-pocket expenses will skyrocket because companies will shift costs to their employees. That means thousands of dollars less in the pockets of working people.

The proposed cuts to Medicaid will wreck our state budget and hurt people in our community who already are struggling to make ends meet. Their plan weakens Medicare. It takes three years off the life of the Medicare hospital fund in order to give a huge tax break to people earning more than $200,000 a year. Their plan does nothing to deal with skyrocketing prices for medical care and drugs. The people cutting America’s health care under the banner of “reform” have never had to worry about care for themselves or their families. CEOs and politicians get the best care because cost is not a factor for them. The rest of us don’t have that luxury.

Congress should focus on expanding coverage for more working people, not putting quality care out of reach.

This story was originally published May 15, 2017 at 3:24 PM with the headline "Debbie Wagner: Why are Republicans putting quality health care out of our reach?."