Senator Hassan Joins Democratic Colleagues, Disability Rights Advocates to Highlight Harmful Impact Graham-Cassidy Trumpcare Proposal Would Have on Individuals Who Experience Disabilities

Sen. Hassan speaks at a press conference with Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) left and Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) right. 

WASHINGTON –Senator Maggie Hassan joined her Democratic colleagues and disability rights advocates at a press conference today to highlight how the Graham-Cassidy Trumpcare bill would harm individuals who experience disabilities. Senator Hassan shared the story of Bodhi Bhattari, a Concord boy who experiences spinal muscular atrophy and needs hundreds of thousands of dollars in life-saving drugs every year. Bodhi’s mother, Deodonne Bhattarai, told WMUR that under the Graham-Cassidy Trumpcare proposal, "If we sold our house, we could probably keep him alive for another year."

“Individuals who experience disabilities – like a young constituent of mine, Bodhi Bhattari - would be devastated by the Graham-Cassidy Trumpcare bill,” Senator Hassan said. “This bill would not just take us back to life before the Affordable Care Act, it would make things even worse for countless families like Bodhi’s by cutting and capping Medicaid, ending the program as we know it. I am grateful to everyone who has shared their stories about how they would be impact by these dangerous attempts to roll back access to health care. We must keep up the fight in these coming days, and together, we will defeat this bill.”

As a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Senator Hassan participated this month in bipartisan health care hearings focused on stabilizing the individual health insurance market and lowering costs. In a speech last week on the Senate floor, Senator Hassan called on her Republican colleagues to reject the Graham-Cassidy Trumpcare proposal and continue moving forward on the bipartisan path that they have started on in the HELP Committee.

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