WASHINGTON – Following is the statement of Antonio E. Puente, PhD, president of the American Psychological Association, in response to the Congressional Budget Office’s scoring of the American Health Care Act:
“We are disappointed by today’s news. The new Congressional Budget Office score of the bill the House passed weeks ago confirms that this health care reform legislation is in reality not reform. The present approach is heading in a disastrous direction by cutting Medicaid by $834 billion over the next 10 years and depriving 23 million people of essential health insurance coverage. In addition to severely damaging the public health of America, the American Health Care Act would play havoc with the private insurance market. The CBO concludes that individuals with pre-existing conditions would ultimately be unable to purchase comprehensive health insurance at premiums comparable to those under current law, ‘if they could purchase it at all.’
“The American Psychological Association opposes this bill and urges the Senate to go back to the drawing board by avoiding the fatal flaws of the American Health Care Act. We need Congress to craft and pass a bill that strengthens and stabilizes our nation’s health care system. While the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is not perfect, any attempt to repeal and replace it should increase, not decrease, the number of Americans who have access to mental and behavioral health and substance use services. We stand ready to assist Congress in developing a viable and responsible health care act.”
The American Psychological Association, in Washington, D.C., is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States. APA's membership includes nearly 115,700 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance the creation, communication and application of psychological knowledge to benefit society and improve people's lives.