Back To ArticlesToday, the House passed the latest version of the tax bill following a conference with the Senate. In its current form, the bill will have devastating consequences for PA families. Antoinette Kraus, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Health Access Network issued the following statement:
“The House’s passage of the Tax Cuts & Jobs Act puts this disastrous bill one step closer to becoming law, which will lead to 13 million more uninsured nationwide, rising healthcare premiums, and instability in the health insurance marketplace. Beyond this, the bill sets the stage for future cuts to programs that millions of Pennsylvanians rely on, like Medicaid and Medicare, all to fund a tax cut for the wealthiest Americans.
We are especially disappointed that lawmakers have prioritized passage of the tax bill while the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Community Health Centers that together serve 36 million Americans remain unfunded. The amount of money it would take to extend these critical programs is minuscule in comparison to the tax bill’s impact on the budget.
We call on the Senate to reject this harmful bill and put its focus where it matters: approving funding for longstanding, life-saving programs like CHIP and community health centers.”