Former Democratic Party presidential candidate Hillary Clinton blasted Republicans, calling them the “death party” if the health care bill passes in the Senate. Clinton made the claim on her Twitter account, citing an article and research conducted by Harvard, claiming that the Senate bill could result in "18,000 to 28,000 deaths in 2026." The former senator also urged followers to speak out against the bill, the details of which were revealed only recently.
Forget death panels. If Republicans pass this bill, they're the death party. https://t.co/jCStfOaBjy
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) June 23, 2017
Former president Barack Obama also spoke out against the measure, saying in a Facebook post that “this bill will do you harm.” Obama also described the bill as a "massive transfer of wealth from middle-class and poor families to the richest people in America." The bill is aimed to replace Obamacare, which was started by President Obama during his term.
Details of health care bill released recently
According to the Center for American Progress, the Senate bill is broadly similar to what passed in the House. The measure aims to end Medicaid expansion and makes further cuts to the program. It will also eliminate individual mandates and reduce the funding that helps low-income Americans afford health coverage.
A study conducted by the CAP indicated that if 15 million Americans lose coverage in 2026, it would result in 18,100 additional deaths. The center also estimated that 22,900 and 27,700 additional deaths will occur if 19 million and 23 million Americans lose their health coverage, respectively. It was also revealed that 217,000 additional deaths will occur over the next decade if the losses from the Senate bill match those of the House bill.
Children will be most affected by bill
In a series of tweets, Clinton called on Americans to voice their concern to their respective senators about the perils of the bill. Clinton also retweeted a graphic showing that 39 percent of children – and 76 percent of poor children – rely on Mediaid for their health coverage. At present, five Republican senators have expressed their intent to vote against the bill.
Earlier, Nevada Sen. Dean Heller said he would not support the bill, saying he “cannot support a piece of legislation that takes away insurance from tens of millions of Americans and hundreds of thousands of Nevadans." The other Republican senators who oppose the bill are Ted Cruz, Ron Johnson, Rand Paul, and Mike Lee. The Republicans can only afford to lose two votes if they still want the bill to pass in the Senate.
