Washington—Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today released the following statement in reaction to House of Representatives passage of its health care bill:

“I am 100 percent opposed to the House-passed health care bill. The bill passed today is even worse than the version in March that failed to get enough Republican votes to pass. But we don’t know exactly how bad the bill is or what it would cost because House Republicans jammed it through without an independent analysis from the Congressional Budget Office. This is outrageous and the height of hypocrisy. 

Pre-existing conditions

 “This version of the bill is still a huge tax cut for the richest Americans while at the same time causing 24 million Americans to lose their insurance. Even worse, this version would allow insurance companies to charge those with pre-existing conditions higher premiums and offer plans that don’t cover essential health care benefits like mental health and maternity care. The bottom line is that this bill would make the lives of millions of Americans significantly worse. That flies in the face of our jobs as public servants.

Medi-Cal

“The bill would also end Medicaid as we know it, cutting nearly $1 trillion from the program and shifting costs to states. Medicaid covers 12 million Californians, more than one in four people in my state. In 2020, California would pay $6 billion more to cover Medi-Cal beneficiaries, and by 2027 that cost would climb to $24 billion annually.

“To put this in perspective, California has a nearly $8 billion rainy-day fund to cover unexpected needs. The costs imposed by the Republican plan would nearly exhaust this fund in 2020, and the state would have no way to cover the extra costs in subsequent years. It couldn’t possibly cover a $24 billion gap. California would be devastated financially.

California

“This bill also punishes California and New York, the two states that require comprehensive reproductive health care coverage. It holds these states hostage by denying tax credits to both states unless they change those requirements. I will do all I can to defeat this punitive bill in the Senate.”

Effects on California

• 3.5 million Californians would lose their coverage.
• Nearly 1 million Californians would lose their Medi-Cal coverage.
• California in 2020 would pay $6 billion more to cover Medi-Cal beneficiaries. By 2027, the state would pay $24 billion more.
  • 1 in 3 Californians are covered by Medi-Cal.
  • 3 in 5 nursing home residents are covered by Medi-Cal.
  • 1 in 2 people with disabilities are covered by Medi-Cal.
  • 1 in 3 Medi-Cal dollars covers care for low-income seniors on Medicare.

Note: Estimates were calculated before recent changes were made to the bill. The Congressional Budget Office has not yet analyzed the final bill passed by the House.