Statement from the NC Justice Center: BREAKING: GOP pulls Trumpcare from the floor

RALEIGH (March 24, 2017) — Today, Republican leadership pulled the American Health Care Act from the House floor in an incredible victory for the millions of Americans that have benefited from the Affordable Care Act.

The bill would have slashed Medicaid funding for North Carolina’s children, people with disabilities, and seniors, shifting health care costs from the federal government onto our state budget and our most vulnerable. If the AHCA—or a proposal like it—were to pass, over a million North Carolinians would lose their health coverage, as other changes would cause premiums and deductibles to skyrocket for the people of our state, eventually making health care unaffordable and out of reach.

People across the state of North Carolina have spoken out against this bill, flooding phone lines, writing letters, signing petitions, holding demonstrations, and visiting their representatives in Congress to ask them to keep North Carolina covered.

Yet we must not forget that the fight for health care isn’t over. The current administration will continue its attempts to unravel the ACA administratively and reinforce attacks on Medicaid and Medicare. Although the bill has been officially withdrawn, we must continue to push Congress and the federal government to take responsible steps to improve the state of health care in our country. Rather than repealing the Affordable Care Act, Congress should build upon the law’s accomplishments and find bipartisan ways to improve our health care system to be more equitable, efficient, and accessible for all.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Brendan Riley, brendan@ncjustice.org, 919.861.2074; Julia Hawes, julia@ncjustice.org.