Where Does Lt. Gov. Reynolds Stand on the GOP Health Care Bill?
While GOP governors have spoken out, Reynolds stays silent on plan that would gut Medicaid and kick Iowans off health insurance
With today’s vote on the Congressional Republican health care bill, Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds has still not said whether she supports the bill. The law is projected to kick 24 million Americans off their insurance, cut $880 billion in Medicaid funding, raise premiums for older Americans and threaten protections for those with pre-existing conditions.
If passed, governors will be left to deal with the gap in Medicaid funding, and will have the option to waive protections for pre-existing conditions. Starting in 2019, governors will have the option to see waivers that allow insurance companies to dramatically raise premiums on people with pre-existing conditions.
In Iowa alone, an estimated 171,100 will lose coverage.
“With millions of people at risk of losing coverage, it’s time for Kim Reynolds to tell Iowa voters where she stands,” said DGA Communications Director Jared Leopold. “Democratic and Republican governors have spoken up against this bill, but Reynolds remains silent. The Congressional health care bill would kick thousands of Iowans off of their health insurance, raise premiums, and cripple the state’s budget. As the likely next governor, Kim Reynolds should say this bill is a disaster for Iowa families.”
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