Big Bill is not Beautiful
To the editor:
The federal government shut down because Republicans refuse to negotiate with Democrats on two health-care related changes to a Continuing Resolution (CR) Bill.
Democrats have proposed:
• Extending tax credits contained within the Affordable Care Act (ACA), allowing millions of low/moderate income Americans to afford health insurance.
Note: 24% of Floridians under 65 rely on this credit and 14% of Georgians. Couples in Kentucky making $85,000/year face a $23,700 annual increase. Similar couples in Minnesota and Maryland face increases of $15,500 and $13,700.
Many insurers have now completely dropped their health-care plans.
• Reducing or eliminating huge reductions in the Medicaid and Nutrition programs (SNAP) that Republicans inserted into their “Big Beautiful Bill.”
Trump, Vance, and Johnson have falsely claimed that Medicaid and ACA provide billions in tax-payer medical insurance to “illegal aliens.” Not true! This insurance is available only for U.S. citizens and individuals with Temporary Protected Status. Medicaid is only available to lawful immigrants. The only exceptions are hospitals receiving reimbursement for emergency room care.
Congressional Republicans want to gut the ACA, Medicaid, and SNAP to support huge tax cuts for the wealthy. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) indicates the Republicans’ “Big Beautiful Bill”/CR provides the richest 10% of Americans tax cuts of tens of thousands of dollars. Cuts for middle-income households are much, much smaller to non-existent.
The Republican Congress wants us to support this “Big Bill” without acknowledging that lower/mid-income Americans will suffer.
Call/write your Congress person and demand changes to the Republican “Big Bill” allowing all Americans access to health insurance and better distribution of tax benefits to lower income families.
Ken Peterson
Punta Gorda