[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 77 (Thursday, May 4, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E607]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   OPPOSITION OF TRUMPCARE'S HIGHER COSTS, LESS COVERAGE, AND FEWER 
                              PROTECTIONS

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. TERRI A. SEWELL

                               of alabama

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 4, 2017

  Ms. SEWELL of Alabama. Mr. Speaker, the GOP healthcare bill today 
marks a disappointing abdication of now more than 50 years of work to 
invest in the health care of our citizens. The bill strips coverage 
from at least 24 million Americans. WHAT A SHAME.
  This GOP bill is being rushed to passage without an updated CBO 
score. My Republican colleagues should be ashamed of themselves for 
playing such silly, political games with the health of the American 
people and 1/6th of the American economy.
  In my home state of Alabama, this GOP bill will exacerbate the cost 
of uncompensated care, which already exceeds $694 million annually in 
Alabama. Alabama's hospitals collectively would see an increase of more 
than $97 million (at least) in uncompensated care costs due to the 
coverage losses in this bill.
  This GOP bill will gut Medicaid, which is the single largest insurer 
for children in America. It is a lifeline for disabled and nursing home 
patients across my district and across this country yet this GOP bill 
slashes Medicaid by more than $800 billion.
  This GOP bill will be devastating to America's hospitals. Children's 
Hospital of Alabama, for example, is projected to lose $752 million in 
Medicaid revenues through 2026 under this bill. In 2018, the hospital 
would lose $1.4 million in uncompensated care costs. I am honored to 
represent UAB here in Congress, which is Alabama's largest employer and 
is set to lose $613 million in Medicaid revenues. Bad debt would 
increase by 90 million a year for the hospital. The CEO of UAB health, 
Dr. Will Ferniany, says the bill is ``bad for Alabama, bad for older 
people, bad for Alabama hospitals, and bad for the poor.''
  The good, hard-working people of America have much to lose under this 
GOP bill.
  Our rural hospitals can absolutely NOT afford these cuts as this GOP 
bill will only worsen the rural hospital closure crisis. Almost 80 
percent of rural hospital closures since 2010 have occurred in states 
that haven't expanded Medicaid under the ACA. As Representative of a 
state with one of the most bare-bones Medicaid programs in the country, 
I know full well that capping and cutting Medicaid is not the direction 
we want to go in.
  Our sacred responsibility to make strategic investments in the health 
of every American has the stark and immediate urgency of right and 
wrong.
  I urge my colleagues to vote against this harmful GOP bill, which 
will result in higher costs, less coverage, and fewer protections.

                          ____________________