How I would have voted on the American Health Care Act

3/24/2017

I would have voted against the American Health Care Act (AHCA) today. This bill seeks to replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) with a system of tax credits and Medicaid block grants and would ensure that:

• 81,000 fewer El Pasoans would have healthcare
• 2.5 million fewer Texans would have healthcare
• 24 million fewer Americans would have healthcare
• Americans would see premium increases of 15–20% in 2018 and 2019
• Millions of veterans not enrolled in the VA would lose healthcare
• Fewer resources would be available to combat the opioid crisis
• There would be no requirement for mental health parity
• Women’s reproductive health would be defunded

The measure did not get voted on today but I will work with my colleagues (Republican and Democrat) going forward on a solution to try to cover more Americans, at lower cost increases, with better outcomes. I am grateful for everyone from El Paso who shared their thoughts and feedback with me.