Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has now read the Republican bill that would repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act and says that it contains "one flashing neon light after another" that signals who this piece of legislation is designed to serve: the very rich and the very powerful.
"This is blood money," the senator said both on the floor of the Senate on Thursday and in a video posted to social media. "They're paying for tax cuts with American lives."
I’ve read the Republican “health care” bill. This is blood money. They’re paying for tax cuts with American lives. pic.twitter.com/298DLguNiM
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) June 22, 2017
As critics have noted, the Republican effort to destroy the ACA, also known as Obamacare, should be seen not as an effort to provide better health coverage for Americans but as an opportunity to give the wealthy a major tax cut. Analysis shows that both the House and Senate versions of Trumpcare would strip coverage from millions and would make existing insurance policies worse and more expensive for nearly all Americans.
With massive cuts to Medicaid, the defunding of Planned Parenthood, and the end of vital protections for those with pre-existing conditions—Warren said there is no question about who will be harmed and who will be helped if the Republicans' proposals are not stopped.
"This bill does not represent our values," Warren said. "This bill is not who we are as a country. We believe that healthcare is a basic human right, and we will get out there and fight for it."
