22 million Americans Losing Healthcare Coverage under Senate Bill According to Nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office

Statement of Harold P. Wimmer, National President and CEO of the American Lung Association, in response to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) score on the Senate version of the Better Care Reconciliation Act:

"The Congressional Budget Office's nonpartisan analysis of the Senate's Better Care Reconciliation Act concludes that 22 million patients will lose healthcare under this new plan. The bill is a step backwards for the health of millions of American families. The American Lung Association calls on the Senate to reject this bill, which is simply unacceptable.

"The reality is that more than 32 million Americans are living with a lung disease, including those living with lung cancer and chronic lung diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), who desperately need affordable, quality healthcare. The CBO report clearly illustrates that this bill will make Americans' healthcare coverage worse, and that including cuts to Medicaid will result in 22 million people losing coverage. It is clear that this closed-door process has produced a bill unacceptable for the health of Americans. Healthcare legislation should put the health of Americans first, and this Senate bill puts the health of Americans last.

"The American Lung Association urges Senators to vote no and oppose this healthcare bill. Changes to current law should prioritize preventing disease and preserving healthcare coverage for all Americans – regardless of income or pre-existing conditions. Healthcare legislation should be discussed in an open process with hearings, markups and public debate that will allow Senators to hear from patients. The American Lung Association urges the Senate to scrap this bill and instead start again, focusing on improving care in a new, bipartisan process."

Learn more about healthcare coverage and lung health at Lung.org. For media interested in speaking with an expert about lung health or how healthcare impacts those living with lung diseases and chronic lung diseases, contact Allison MacMunn at the American Lung Association at Media@Lung.org or 312-801-7628.