Tester Rails Against ‘A Disgusting Attempt to Play Politics with People’s Lives’

Senator: Latest Effort is Scheme to Take Away Health Care

(U.S. Senate) – U.S. Senator Jon Tester today blasted Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s latest plan to force the Senate to vote on a bill from 2015 that would strip health insurance from 32 million Americans, with no plan to replace the nation’s current health system.

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, which determines the impacts of legislation in Congress, says repealing the Affordable Care Act with no plan for replacing it would cause insurance premiums to double over the next ten years.

“This is a disgusting attempt by Washington politicians to play politics with Montanans’ lives by jacking up health care costs, kicking folks off their plans, and shutting down rural hospitals with no plan to increase access to health care or to lower costs,” Tester said. “Instead of ramrodding through yet another scheme to take away health care coverage from people, Congress should be working together to improve access and lower health care costs.”

Instead of dismantling the current health care system, Tester has cosponsored several bills to lower costs and improve health care for Montana families:

Individual Health Insurance Marketplace Improvement Act
A bill to create a new permanent reinsurance program to help cover the claims of the sickest enrollees in the Marketplace.

Marketplace Certainty Act
A bill to ensure the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services stabilizes health insurance markets by making cost-sharing reduction payments.

SPIKE ACT
A bill to force drug companies to publicly report detailed information when they raise the price of their drugs.

SAME ACT
A bill to ensure Montana gets its fair share of Medicaid expansion funding.

Restoring Rural Residencies Act
A bill to allow Medicare to reimburse residency programs for the time residents spend at Critical Access Hospitals.