Early Saturday morning, Maine Senator Susan Collins voted to pass sneaky health care repeal as part of the Republican tax plan. That plan will result in 13 million Americans losing health coverage — all to give tax breaks to the wealthy and corporations.
The GOP’s tax plan is particularly bad for Maine:
- In Maine alone, family premiums will increase by $2,350 in 2019.
- 50,000 Mainers will lose health care coverage by 2025.
- AARP says older adults in Maine will pay up to $1,748 more in premiums.
- Our state will face $120 million in Medicare cuts.
Senator Collins herself said that including health care repeal in the tax bill is its “biggest mistake.” Last month she said, “the fact is that, if you do pull this piece of the Affordable Care Act out, for some middle-income families, the increased premium is going to cancel out the tax cut that they would get.”
So why did she vote for this bill in the first place?
Because she received a “promise” from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell that Congress would consider legislation that may mitigate the damage this tax plan will cause.
But now, House Republicans are promising to BLOCK the legislative promises made to Senator Collins — Speaker Paul Ryan said that he is not part of a deal to get health care fixes passed before the end of the year.
The result? Thanks to Senator Collins’ vote, the sneaky health care repeal could pass the House at any minute.
Senator Collins is getting played, and now 13 million Americans could lose health coverage. Call 202-999-4951 and tell her that Maine will hold her accountable.
