Top Connecticut Democrats are sharply criticizing the Senate Republican's proposal to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, saying it will increase the cost of health care while reducing access.
Gov. Dannel Malloy on Thursday predicted "people will needlessly die" under the plan, which proposes cutting Medicaid for low-income Americans and erasing tax increases previously imposed on high-earners and medical companies to finance coverage expansion.
Lt Gov. Nancy Wyman predicts the legislation has the potential to create a $1 billion funding hole in Connecticut's budget in the next decade.
U.S. Sens. Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy are both blasting the proposal as cruel and expensive. The two are planning to hold an "emergency field hearing" on Friday at New Haven City Hall to receive public testimony on the Senate GOP bill.
“This measure is simply mean. Republicans in the Senate have made mere cosmetic touches to the House’s cruel and costly healthcare bill. Nips and tucks fail to reshape this reprehensible plan into anything approaching responsible legislation. Countless Connecticut patients – and millions more across the country – will lose access to critical healthcare services and protections. The Republicans’ plan will literally cost American lives,” Blumenthal said in a statement.
“Congress doesn’t get it. People back home in Connecticut just want health coverage that covers what they actually need it to cover for a price they can afford to pay. I will keep working hard to stop this disastrous bill and get Congress to focus on the simple, bipartisan things we can do to bring down costs,” Murphy said in a statement.
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"We have to act," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, said on the Senate floor. "Because Obamacare is a direct attack on the middle class, and American families deserve better than its failing status quo."
