House Passes Damaging Tax Bill, Health Advocates Urge Senate to Rethink Their Plan
–Joint statement from the Medicare Rights Center and the Center for Medicare Advocacy—

Washington, DC—Today, the House of Representatives passed a catastrophic, rushed, and partisan tax bill with no public input, no hearings, and no time to understand its full ramifications. This bill is the beginning of a vicious two-step process: 1) Cut taxes for corporations and the rich, adding $1.5 trillion to the federal deficit over the next decade; and 2) Use that higher deficit to justify drastic cuts to bedrock programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security.

Now all eyes turn to the Senate, where the proposed bill is even worse. We continue to urge Senators to slow down and return to the regular order of a deliberative and transparent process. Responsible tax reform would not raise deficits, cut health care coverage, and lead to other Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security cuts – as the current bills do. We urge Senators to work together to protect all families with an equitable tax plan. All Americans, including older adults and people with disabilities, need to be considered and protected from health and financial insecurity.

Contact: Mitchell Clark – mclark@medicarerights.org – 212-204-6286

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The Medicare Rights Center is a national, nonprofit consumer service organization that works to ensure access to affordable health care for older adults and people with disabilities through counseling and advocacy, educational programs and public policy initiatives.

The Center for Medicare Advocacy, established in 1986, is a national nonprofit, nonpartisan law organization that provides education, advocacy and legal assistance to help older people and people with disabilities obtain access to Medicare and quality health care. The Center is headquartered in Connecticut and Washington, DC with offices throughout the country.

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