In the Wake of Senate Passage, Coalition Warns: H.R. 1 Is a Dangerous Setback for Patients

Today, a coalition of leading non-partisan, non-profit patient advocacy organizations issued a sharp rebuke following Senate passage of H.R. 1, warning of devastating coverage losses nationwide.  

“The Senate-passed bill represents a profound setback for millions of patients and their families, by threatening their ability to access care and undermining their financial stability.  

“This legislation will terminate health insurance for an estimated 17 million people by gutting Medicaid, dismantling key provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), and failing to extend the enhanced tax credits. Instead of building on the historic coverage gains of the past decade, this legislation walks away from our nation’s commitment to affordable coverage by erecting barriers to care and destabilizing insurance markets. Its ripple effects will affect all Americans – through closure of rural hospitals and increases in costs for those fortunate enough to keep their coverage.   

“Patient advocates have repeatedly and vocally warned that H.R. 1 fails to protect the health and well-being of real people by tearing apart the critical programs they rely on for lifesaving care.  

“The bill slashes Medicaid funding—undermining coverage for low-income adults, children, seniors, and people with serious and chronic conditions – making even more devastating cuts than the House-passed legislation. It fails to reauthorize the ACA’s enhanced advance premium tax credits (APTCs), which have made marketplace coverage more affordable for more than 24 million Americans. And it includes damaging structural changes to the ACA, such as eliminating automatic re-enrollment and enrollment flexibilities, making it harder for people to get and stay covered.  

“Patients deserve better. At a time of rising costs and growing need, Americans simply cannot afford a bill that will throw millions off their coverage by gutting Medicaid and allowing vital ACA subsidies to expire.  We urge the House to reject the Senate-passed bill. It’s time for Congress to focus on what Americans actually want – lower healthcare costs and access to high-quality, affordable health insurance coverage they can count on.” 

AiArthritis 
American Kidney Fund 
American Lung Association 
Arthritis Foundation 
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America  
Cancer Nation (formerly the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship)  
Cancer Support Community 
CancerCare 
Crohn's & Colitis Foundation 
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation 
Epilepsy Foundation of America 
EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases  
Hemophilia Federation of America 
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association 
Immune Deficiency Foundation 
Lupus Foundation of America 
Lutheran Services in America 
Muscular Dystrophy Association 
National Bleeding Disorders Foundation  
National Health Council 
National Kidney Foundation 
National Multiple Sclerosis Society 
National Organization for Rare Disorders 
National Patient Advocate Foundation 
National Psoriasis Foundation 
Pulmonary Hypertension Association 
Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, Inc.  
Susan G. Komen 
The AIDS Institute 
The Coalition for Hemophilia B 
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society  
ZERO Prostate Cancer