Congressman Auchincloss Delivers Remarks at Energy & Commerce Committee Markup of Budget Reconciliation Text
Washington, D.C. -- Today, Congressman Jake Auchincloss (MA-04) delivered opening remarks at the House Committee on Energy and Commerce Markup of Budget Reconciliation Text, where Republicans will vote to take away healthcare from millions of Americans.
You can find a video of his full remarks here.
“Mr. Chairman, when 13.7 million Americans lose access to healthcare, 13.7 million Americans don't stop getting sick. What happens instead is, losing access to primary and preventive care, they actually require more healthcare, and they visit the emergency room, and they get care that takes longer and is less comprehensive.
And here's what that means for everyday Americans, middle class and working class, including those who get access to health insurance through their employer. It means that their health insurance premiums are going to go up, because when hospitals provide care to people through the emergency rooms, they have to cross-subsidize that by raising the cost that they charge to commercial payers.
So it won't just be the 13.7 million Americans who were kicked off health coverage, who have to pay more out of pocket to get healthcare. It's going to be all Americans who have health insurance, who will pay more in health insurance premiums. This is after Donald Trump and Republicans promised that they were going to come in and lower prices. Down the road, the middle class and the working class are going to be paying more in taxes and through inflation because of the $7 trillion in debt that Republicans are adding with this tax cut giveaway to the wealthiest Americans, and those Americans who do end up needing Medicaid are now going to find that it cannot meet their needs.
My constituent, Ethan Wang, was critically injured while swimming in the ocean when he was studying abroad in March 2019. The spinal cord injury left him paralyzed, needing immediate life-saving surgeries abroad, followed by a medical evacuation back to his home in Massachusetts. Then, inexplicably, Ethan's dad, Willis, suffered a major stroke just two years later. He also now has disabilities, but continues to work as best he can.
I'm not sure if he meets the Republicans' definition of work–but he is working as best as he can. All of this was possible because of Ethan and Willis’ determination and support from the Personal Care Attendant program operated through the Massachusetts Medicaid program known as MassHealth. When these cuts rolled down onto the states, though, the PCA, as well as other flexible programming, will be under threat.
The PCA, which allows people with disabilities to stay in their homes so they do not have to stay in expensive institutions, may come onto the chopping block. Ethan and Willis’ family never thought that they would depend on MassHealth, nor did they seek to. Nor do they want, or ask for, a handout. They had an accident. They got sick, and they needed access to healthcare.
The Wang family is a dual professional household in Newton with three healthy boys. Nobody knows when they will need to rely on Medicaid. But when they do, they need it to be strong and sound so that it can be a reliable system for families when they need it most. Ethan's mom says it best: “We all live on the razor's edge of health, and when you need assistance from the state, you see the world and our social safety net through fresh eyes.”
I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to protect Medicaid and the life-saving programs that it supports. I yield back.”