(Anchorage, AK ) Today, sixteen advocacy groups representing the foremost leaders in the health industry released a joint statement condemning the secret, partisan Graham-Cassidy health care repeal bill and urging Senators to oppose the legislation.

The groups oppose the plan because of its negative impacts on “patients’ access to adequate and affordable health coverage and care.” They cite the bill’s proposed gutting of Medicaid, rolling back of vital patient protections, and reintroduction of potential lifetime caps on coverage as their main reasons for opposition.

The signers include the American Heart Association, The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the ALS Association, the American Lung Association, and the American Diabetes Association, among many other groups. The full release can be found here.

Furthermore, the signers urge Senators to instead support the current bipartisan process led by Senators Lamar Alexander and Patty Murray to stabilize the insurance market and address other key health care issues.

“Affordable, adequate care is vital to the patients we represent. This legislation fails to provide Americans with what they need to maintain their health. In fact, much of the proposal just repackages the problematic provisions of the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA), which we opposed. Fortunately, the BCRA was voted down by Congress earlier this year,” the coalition stated. “We urge Congress to continue this important bipartisan effort rather than advancing proposals that would weaken access to the care Americans need and deserve. We stand ready to work with both sides of the aisle to build long-lasting bipartisan solutions both now and in the future.[xyz-ihs snippet=”Adsense-responsive”]

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