NEWS: “I’m Terrified I’ll Die” — Americans Speak Out on Devastating Republican Health Care Cuts

WASHINGTON, Oct. 7 - Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today released a new report titled "I'm Terrified I'll Die: Americans Speak Out About Republican Health Care Cuts," detailing the devastating human impact of the Republican budget and its massive cuts to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act.

The report, which compiles hundreds of personal stories from 42 states and the District of Columbia, paints a grim picture of what millions of Americans will face if these cuts take effect: skyrocketing premiums, massive coverage losses, and the potential closure of hundreds of hospitals, nursing homes and community health centers across the country.

"Our health care system is already broken, dysfunctional and cruel," Sanders said. "85 million Americans are uninsured or underinsured. We spend twice as much per person on health care as any other major country, and yet our life expectancy is four years lower. Now, at a time when we should be guaranteeing health care as a human right, Donald Trump and his Republican colleagues are making a horrific situation even worse."

According to the report, premiums for Americans who buy their own health insurance will double on average next year, while 15 million people are expected to lose coverage as a result of the Republican budget. The report details how the cuts would substantially increase the number of uninsured Americans in every state in the country and double the uninsured rate in some states, including Massachusetts and Louisiana. A study from Yale University and the University of Pennsylvania estimates that the cuts could cause more than 50,000 unnecessary deaths every year.

The report includes dozens of firsthand accounts from Americans facing life-threatening consequences:

• Laura from Wisconsin said, "I live in fear of whether or not I will be able to afford my life-saving treatment. I have a rare kidney disease that requires immunotherapy every nine months. I'm terrified I'll die."
• Brittanie from Utah said, "I'm already living paycheck to paycheck. I have insurance for myself and my two sons. Just bought a house that we can barely afford."
• Joe from Pennsylvania said, "I am a small business owner and if my health care costs continue to rise, I will be forced to close my business and look for a job if I can find one."
• Patricia from California warned, "If our local clinics and hospitals close, as they are likely to with federal funding disappearing, people will die."

The report also includes examples of the soaring premiums Americans will soon face, according to state insurance websites.

• A couple in their sixties living in Rappahannock County, Virginia, earning $85,000 per year will pay more than $1,500 more per month.

• A 32-year-old in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, making $42,000 will pay an additional $125 per month for the same coverage.

• A couple in Savannah, Georgia, with two adult children living at home with them and making $129,000 per year, will pay an additional $3,150 per month for health insurance.

Sanders vowed to oppose the Republican budget and fight to expand, not cut, health care coverage.

"No, I will not vote for a budget that doubles premiums, throws 15 million people off health care, and causes 50,000 preventable deaths every year," Sanders said. "Democrats, Republicans and independents must come together to protect health care for every American - not just the profits of the insurance and pharmaceutical industries."

Read the full report on the Senate HELP Committee website here.

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