The Graham-Cassidy bill, which we wrote about yesterday and which is picking up steam as the Republican’s last-ditch effort to force a terrible healthcare package through Congress, now has the potential backing of John McCain, one of the key abstainees in their previous efforts this summer. We’re still waiting on the sure-to-be-terrible CBO score, but the AARP released a statement this morning, and here’s what they had to say:
NEW: What AARP thinks of Graham Cassidy.
Not much. pic.twitter.com/T44N3BF8Vb
— Andy Slavitt (@ASlavitt) September 19, 2017
You can click that tweet for the full transcript, but here are a couple highlights:
The Graham/CassidyHeller/Johnson bill would result in an age tax for older Americans who would see their health care costs increase under this bill. First, the bill would eliminate cost sharing reductions (CSRs) and take away the current tax credits that people receive today to help them afford their health care premiums. In doing so, the bill eliminates the protection that ensures both younger and older Americans do not pay over a specific percent of their income towards their health care premium. In addition, the bill entirely eliminates the funds available to states to lower health care premiums in 2026 and beyond.
and:
Recent AARP Public Policy Institute projections demonstrate that the Graham/Cassidy/Heller/Johnson bill will cut between $1.2 trillion and $3.2 trillion from total (federal and state) Medicaid spending over the 20-year period between 2017 and 2036 for the four non-expansion Medicaid enrollment groups: older adults, adults with disabilities, non-disabled children under age 19, and non-expansion adults. The projections do not include the proposed cuts to the adult Medicaid expansion population, which would also be considerable for those states that have expanded coverage.
In short, it’s another nightmarish Republican healthcare bill, and at the moment, it seems extremely possible that this one will pass.