On May 4, the House of Representatives voted in favor of the bill that would replace the current Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare. While the bill was initially rejected by members of both parties, Republicans behind the American Health Care Act were able to convince enough representatives to support it. In the end, it was a close result of a 213-217 win for the Republicans pushing for its implementations.
President Donald Trump and his supporters celebrated this victory and showed confidence that the bill will also win its upcoming vote in Senate. However, many Democrats, as well as other officials and advocacy groups, criticized this American Health Care Act for eliminating certain protections that Obamacare had in place.
In Massachusetts, the outcry against this bill was strong and many public figures have spoken out against the Republicans’ plans for healthcare. After the announcement that the bill had been passed in the House of Representatives, Health Care for All, an advocacy group based in Massachusetts, also called for an impromptu protest rally in downtown Boston.
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, who is a member of the Republican party himself, openly disapproved of this decision by his colleagues in Washington, DC, and expressed his concern over what this bill could mean for the state if it were passed in the Senate as well.
In an official press release, Baker said, “Massachusetts leads the nation in health care coverage, and I am disappointed by today’s vote as this bill would significantly reduce critical funds for the Commonwealth’s health care system. As the US Senate takes up this bill, we will continue to advocate for the Commonwealth’s priorities so that all residents have access to the health coverage they need.”
Furthermore, the Governor also called upon all Senators to reject the bill in the upcoming vote.
“Maintaining flexibility through the Medicaid program is critical to the Commonwealth’s ability to provide coverage for the needy and I urge Congress to reject this bill in its current form,” said Baker.
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh reflected on the negative consequences that this bill would have for the residents of the city and the overall state of Massachusetts.
An official statement by the Mayor’s Office stated, “I am disappointed that Congress voted today to repeal the Affordable Care Act. This action will hurt people living with pre-existing conditions, deny access to essential benefits including substance use treatment and recovery services, and trigger large reductions in vital funding to Massachusetts. I stand with our Congressional Delegation in opposing this harmful proposal and vow to continue working to ensure that our residents have access to adequate, affordable health care.”
Congressman Joseph Kennedy III, who voted against this bill, said in a statement, “Trumpcare rejects that common humanity and continues the Administration’s calculated attempt to divide up our nation based on fate, fortune and difference. It creates one system for the powerful and another for the poor, one set of rules for the strong and another for the suffering.”
Senator Elizabeth Warren, who will take part in the upcoming vote on the bill, also heavily criticized the Republicans who voted in favor of this bill, and even questioned the legitimacy of the American Health Care Act.
She stated, “Trumpcare isn’t a health care bill. A bill that destroys health care for millions to shovel cash to the rich isn’t a health care bill.”
Should this bill be implemented, millions of Americans will lose access to health coverage, the Senator said.
“Health care is a basic human right. We’ll fight as long and hard as we can to make that a reality for everyone in America,” stated Warren.