AHA shares Graham-Cassidy concerns with Senate Finance Committee

By 2026, the Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson proposal to repeal and replace parts of the Affordable Care Act would increase the number of uninsured Americans by more than 20 million and reduce federal funding to states by $275 billion, AHA told the Senate Finance Committee today in a statement submitted for a hearing on the proposal. The estimates are based on an analysis conducted for the AHA by KNG Health Consulting, as the Congressional Budget Office has yet to fully analyze the proposal. “Moreover, while some states may receive additional federal funds under the proposal, our analysis found that the rate of uninsured would increase in every state,” AHA said. “We urge the Senate to go back to the drawing board and work in a bipartisan manner to address the challenges facing our nation’s health care system.” Witnesses at the hearing included Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Mazie Hirono (D-HI); former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA); former Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Deputy Administrator Cindy Mann; and representatives from the Arkansas and Pennsylvania human services departments and American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network.