Today, Congresswoman Kuster (NH-02) joined ninety-five of her Democratic colleagues in urging Speaker of the House Paul Ryan (R-WI) to submit the revised American Health Care Act (AHCA) to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) for a new score following revisions to the bill made by Congressional Republicans last night. The initial CBO report found that 24 million fewer Americans would have healthcare by 2026 if the AHCA were to become law. It also estimated that 14 million more people would be uninsured next year alone.

“The Congressional Budget Office’s report on the Republican healthcare bill confirmed what many of us already suspected; that millions of Americans would lose their health insurance under the plan,” said Congresswoman Kuster. “It’s unthinkable that Congress would move forward with legislation that will likely have a devastating impact on access to healthcare. Perhaps even more unthinkable is voting on major healthcare legislation that has been amended without knowing the impact of the changes. I hope my Republican colleagues will see reason and wait for Congress and the American people to know what their bill would mean for our healthcare system.”

The full text of the letter is available below and here.

March 17, 2017

Dear Speaker Ryan,

We write to urge that, as you revise the American Health Care Act, you resubmit the bill to the Congressional Budget Office and receive an updated score prior to floor consideration. The score released by CBO on Monday demonstrated how significant any substantial healthcare reform is for the American public. In making and reforming healthcare policy, Congress must evaluate and understand how any policy proposals will affect access, affordability, and quality of care. The American public deserves to know the ramifications that changes to current policy will have for their ability to receive the healthcare they need.

During your time as Speaker, you have committed to ensuring an open and transparent legislative process. We ask that as the House considers legislation of this magnitude, you honor that commitment. Therefore, as you and your conference contemplate making changes to the bill, it is critical that the changes be subject to an independent, public, non-partisan evaluation to help Americans understand what consequences your legislation holds for them.  

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