March 9, 2017

Dear friend,

I’ve been reading the bill that House Republican leadership and President Trump released this week to repeal the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare) and I’ve got to tell you, it’s a total disaster. Despite their many promises to the contrary, President Trump and House Republicans are pushing a bill that would severely undermine healthcare coverage for millions of Americans. It would also be a devastating blow to our efforts to combat the opioid epidemic. On top of taking health insurance away from millions of Americans, the House Republican plan decimates the Medicaid program, increases premiums for seniors and older Americans, forces the middle class to pay more for less, and defunds vital preventative and reproductive care for women.

Mind you, not everyone is hurt by this bill: Insurance company CEOs get a special tax break. That’s right, hidden in the Republican health care bill is a special tax break that allows Health Care companies to write off CEO pay over $500,000 a year. What’s more outrageous is that this tax break for CEOs is paid for by charging senior citizens an additional $7,000 a year for health care. This bill is a tax giveaway to the wealthy, masquerading as health care reform. It’s shameful.

In dozens of visits to New Hampshire during the campaign, President Trump promised to provide treatment to end the opioid crisis. So why is he pushing for healthcare repeal and many other policies that would take away substance misuse treatment and many other resources that New Hampshire desperately needs to fight the drug epidemic? That’s exactly the question I put to him in a 
letter
last week. In it, I call on the President to keep his promise to communities across New Hampshire that are fighting this epidemic with everything they have. I’ll keep you updated and let you know if President Trump responds.

As I’ve said many times, the Affordable Care Act isn’t perfect, but it has undoubtedly made New Hampshire healthier and has helped expand substance misuse treatment coverage to those who desperately need it. In New Hampshire, the uninsured rate has dropped by 43%. A big part of that reduction comes from the coverage provided through Medicaid expansion. Instead of repealing this progress, House Republicans should be working across the aisle to improve the Affordable Care Act. In the last congress, I successfully improved the law to help small businesses. I’ve proven that bipartisan progress on healthcare is possible. This is the much better route for the health, well-being, and peace of mind of Granite Staters. I’m strongly against this reckless repeal bill and I’ll be urging my colleagues in the Senate to oppose it.

Jeanne Shaheen

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