Koch brothers' political network critical of Senate
healthcare bill
·
- Donor group
plans up to $400 million in spending in run-up to 2018 midterm elections
“Colorado
Springs (CNN)As growing opposition
imperiled passage of the Senate version of the healthcare bill, leaders of the
conservative Koch network voiced sharp criticism of the legislation at their
donor retreat here -- stating that the bill needed dramatic changes before they
would support it.”
"This Senate bill needs to get
better. It has to get better," said Tim Phillips, a top lieutenant in the
network who recently met with White House officials to outline their proposed
changes to the health care system."
“The proposed changes to Medicaid,
Phillips said, were unacceptable, because they just amount to tinkering around
the edges rather than reforming the program.”
“Charles Koch, who was a vociferous critic
of Donald Trump during the 2012 presidential campaign, did not mention the bill
or the President as he welcomed hundreds of donors to the historic Broadmoor
Hotel at the foot of Cheyenne Mountain Saturday evening. (Koch met with Vice
President Mike Pence on Friday). "We are more optimistic now about what we
can accomplish than we have ever been," he said in remarks to donors,
noting the group's work propelling the confirmation of Neil Gorsuch to the
Supreme Court.”
Millions
of people have a lot to lose under the AHCA
“If the Senate votes to pass the
American Health Care Act (AHCA), millions of Americans will be unquestionably
worse off. In addition to the 23 million Americans who will lose their
health insurance coverage by 2026, the economic impacts of repealing and
replacing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are large and wide-reaching.”
“As Medicaid is slashed, households’ premium costs skyrocket, and
protections for people with preexisting conditions are eliminated, 23 million
Americans will lose their health insurance by 2026. The majority would lose it
to breathtakingly large cuts to the vital Medicaid program (almost $900 billion
over the next decade). Further, millions more would lose the coverage they get
through their employer if AHCA passes.”
“Nationally, all-else-equal, the AHCA could slow job growth by 1.1
million in 2020, with losses felt in every state. The American Health Care Act
(AHCA) drastically cuts spending on Medicaid and subsidies to help people
purchase health insurance, while cutting taxes that disproportionately fall on
higher-income households.”
