POWER TO DECIDE DECRIES HOUSE PASSAGE OF H.R. 1 LEGISLATION WOULD STRIP REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE FROM MILLIONS OF PEOPLE

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - Early this morning, the U.S. House of Representatives  narrowly passed H.R. 1, a bill that would strip millions of people of their Medicaid coverage and further restrict access to reproductive health care. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that at least 8.6 million people will lose health insurance coverage by 2034 under this bill. The bill now moves to the U.S. Senate for consideration. Specifically, the bill will:
 

• Implement Medicaid work requirements, eligibility checks, and other red tape that would result in working people who qualify for Medicaid being kicked off the program.
• Reduce premium tax credits for purchasing health insurance through the ACA marketplaces.
• Ban Medicaid funding from going to Planned Parenthood health centers, leaving people on Medicaid–particularly in rural or medically underserved areas–with nowhere to go for reproductive health care.
• Prohibit health insurance plans on the ACA marketplaces from receiving cost-sharing reduction payments if they cover abortion care—essentially, a marketplace-wide ban on abortion coverage in ACA health plans.
• Ban Medicaid coverage of gender-affirming care.

In response, Power to Decide CEO and practicing OB-GYN, Dr. Raegan McDonald-Mosley, issued the following statement:  

“This bill represents one of the largest transfers of wealth to those at the top by stripping health care coverage and access from those who already struggle the most to get care. These are the patients I serve as an OB-GYN. At Power to Decide, we are committed to improving the reproductive well-being of every person, especially those who face the greatest barriers to care. H.R. 1 would dramatically increase the number of people who struggle to get basic health care, and would make the obstacles they face even greater. This cruel bill would result in far fewer people having health insurance. It would strip abortion coverage from ACA health plans. It would leave people who need basic health care–such as contraception, STI testing and treatment, and breast and cervical cancer screenings–without a provider in their communities.

This is the opposite of what people want. In fact, only 3% of voters want policymakers to make it harder to access contraception. Yet this bill would result in millions losing their health coverage and care. We urge the Senate to oppose this bill, listen to their constituents and protect them from the deep harms it will cause.”

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Power to Decide is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that works to advance sexual and reproductive well-being for all by providing trusted information, expanding access to quality services, and catalyzing culture change.