March 07, 2017
Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney and City Health Commissioner Dr. Tom Farley criticized House Republicans' detailed proposal to replace the Affordable Care Act in a joint statement released Tuesday.
The two called the plan "a big tax cut for the rich at the cost of low- and middle-income families."
"The bill would cut Medicaid, defund Planned Parenthood, and replace assistance to lower-income people to buy health insurance with tax credits for the rich," they said in the statement. "In the end, it will lead to many Philadelphians losing their health insurance, and those with health insurance paying more out of pocket.”
The long-awaited plan will undo much of Obamacare, as promised by the Trump administration, while leaving some of its elements in place, including the ability for young people to stay on their parents' plan until they're 26 years old and keep coverage for those with a pre-existing condition.
Nicknamed the "American Health Care Act," the new plan proposed by Republicans will offer refundable tax credits to buy health insurance while restructuring the nation's Medicaid program, freezing expansion by 2020.
The plan, which is also being challenged by many conservatives, may leave many uninsured.
Kenney and Farley said that more than 360,000 residents in Philadelphia have received health care coverage through Obamacare or Medicaid.
It would also defund Planned Parenthood for one year, which would "deprive thousands of women in Philadelphia of the preventive health services that they are currently receiving," said Kenney and Farley.
House committees are expected to begin voting on the legislation Wednesday.
