Shaheen, Hassan Join NH Healthcare Providers and Patients To Condemn Disastrous Graham-Cassidy Repeal Bill

(Washington, DC)— At a press conference this morning at Elliot Hospital in Manchester, Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) joined New Hampshire healthcare providers and patients who would be impacted by the catastrophic effects of the Graham-Cassidy healthcare repeal bill.

“Instead of continuing with bipartisan negotiations to fix our current healthcare system, Republican leadership is ramming a bill through Congress that would be detrimental to the health and well-being of Granite Staters,” said Shaheen. “It’s absolutely terrifying to think of the impact this legislation would have on New Hampshire. Graham-Cassidy eviscerates the Medicaid program and takes away care from the most vulnerable, including seniors and those struggling with substance use disorders. Additionally, the Graham-Cassidy bill defunds Planned Parenthood, which would leave more than 12,000 women in New Hampshire without necessary care. I urge Republicans in the Senate to set aside this disastrous bill and restart the bipartisan negotiations to address the immediate problems facing our current system.”  

“The latest version of the Graham-Cassidy bill is every bit as dangerous as the Trumpcare plans we saw this summer – if not worse – and it would have a devastating impact on Granite Staters, including those covered by New Hampshire’s bipartisan Medicaid expansion,” Senator Hassan said. “There is still time for us to resume the bipartisan process we were working on before this latest repeal effort in order to stabilize the individual health insurance market and lower health care costs for hard-working families. We must keep up the fight in these coming days, and I will continue to do everything I can to defeat this dangerous Graham-Cassidy Trumpcare bill.”

Independent analysts provided preliminary reports that show the effects of the bill would be devastating for New Hampshire. The bill would cut funding from programs that more than 10,000 Granite Staters rely on for substance use disorder treatment. One estimate calculates that New Hampshire would stand to lose a total of $3 billion in federal funding over the next ten years. Dozens of healthcare organizations and groups have voiced opposition to the bill including AARP, American Academy of Family Physicians, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Physicians and many more. Senate Republicans are trying to pass the healthcare repeal bill this week without a complete score from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO), which calculates how much the bill would cost and the total impact of coverage.

Senators Shaheen and Hassan are committed to working across the aisle fix the Affordable Care Act so it works for all Americans. Earlier this year, Senator Shaheen introduced the Marketplace Certainty Act, which Senator Hassan cosponsored, to permanently appropriate payments for cost-sharing reductions to help stabilize state marketplaces and expand eligibility for hard-working Americans who need help paying their premiums.

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