Lauren Lantry (202) 548-6599 lauren.lantry@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- After a failed attempt in March, House Republicans voted today to repeal much of the Affordable Care Act, passing a bill that would throw 24 million Americans off of their health care and threaten the coverage for tens of millions more. The bill would slash funding for Medicaid, the program that provides insurance for low-income people, roll back much of Medicaid's expansion, gut provisions that prevented women from being charged more for insurance coverage than men, and permit insurance companies to once again refuse coverage for preexisting conditions such as asthma and respiratory illnesses, diseases caused by air and water pollution.
In response, Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune released the following statement:
“After months of attacking clean air and clean water safeguards and the Affordable Care Act, Trump and Congressional Republicans have made it clear their priorities are helping corporate polluters and Wall Street, not protecting the health and safety of American families. Because of these attacks on our clean air and water, our families are more vulnerable to illnesses caused by pollution. Because of these attacks that decimate health coverage for millions, fewer and fewer Americans are able to get the care and the cures they need when they get sick.
“With the passage of this bill, the impacts of unchecked mercury pollution from coal-fired power plants that harm fetal development and pregnant women are made worse because insurers will be able to charge women more for insurance coverage. Additionally, treatment costs for illnesses that are made worse by pollution, like asthma, will skyrocket since they could be classified as a pre-existing condition.
“The lines are now clearly drawn, and there is no doubt that Trump and Congressional Republicans are putting the profits of corporate polluters and Wall Street ahead of the health of the American people. We will not forget this day nor this vote.”
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About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 2.7 million members and supporters. In addition to helping people from all backgrounds explore nature and our outdoor heritage, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.