For more than two decades, the NC Council of Churches has called for access to health care for all. The score from the Congressional Budget Office makes it undeniably clear that the American Health Care Act takes us farther from that goal. It would put the lives of many at risk and negatively impact the quality of life for others. Its hurried approval by the U.S. House of Representatives before valuable analysis was even available implies that political gamesmanship is more important than people. It is not.
The 23 million individuals who would lose care under this plan are our sisters and brothers, beloved children of God who live in the richest nation in the world. That our priorities would shift toward enriching our wealthiest while neglecting our most vulnerable is an appallingly cynical calculation. Fortunately, people of faith answer a higher call, and we will now continue to be advocates for a health care system that provides better coverage for more of God’s children, not worse coverage for fewer.
As our friends at the Justice Center note in their analysis following the release of the CBO score:
In short, this bill would increase the number of uninsured in our state, make premiums and out-of-pocket costs like deductibles less affordable, reduce the quality and comprehensiveness of coverage, and deny equitable access to coverage for people with pre-existing conditions.
And from MomsRising:
Its enactment would be an absolute crisis for our nation, particularly for those who are in vulnerable communities, including: low-income families, people with disabilities, rural communities, and the elderly; with a compounding impact in Black, Latinx, Asian, Native American, and LGBTQ+ communities.
Now is the time to let Senators Tillis and Burr hear from you as the Senate decides how to proceed. Let them know that people of faith believe we all are worthy of access to affordable, comprehensive health care, and that will never be achieved through the American Health Care Act.
