Henry L. Dorkin, MD, President of the Massachusetts Medical
Society, released the following statement regarding the American Health Care
Act:
“The Massachusetts Medical Society
continues to strongly oppose the American Health Care Act (AHCA), passed by the
U.S. House of Representatives today. None of the modifications made to the
original legislation has mitigated the grievous harm that this bill would
inflict on our patients – including the most vulnerable. In fact, when it comes
to affordable, reliable health care coverage, the current version of the AHCA
is actually worse than the original.
“The AHCA would lead to millions
of Americans losing the coverage on which they depend, and it would result in
insurance coverage for millions of others that is costly and unreliable.
Insurance coverage is not meaningful if patients cannot access the care they
need.
“Affordable coverage of patients
with pre-existing conditions is essential for their lives and well-being – and
for the sustainability of America’s health care system. The AHCA would
skyrocket the costs of insurance for the millions of Americans who live with
pre-existing conditions, and history has shown that high-risk pools are not an
effective solution.
“We continue to support the
Affordable Care Act, which has extended health coverage to more than 20 million
Americans and helped Massachusetts to reach record levels of reliable health
insurance coverage.
“On behalf our patients and physician members,
we thank our delegation in the House of Representatives for speaking forcefully
against this harmful bill, and we will continue to work in opposition to the
American Health Care Act as it moves to the Senate.”
