WASHINGTON — Following is the statement of APA President Antonio E. Puente, PhD, in response to several critical measures in the tax bills making their way through the House and Senate:
“Congress needs to take action to increase health insurance coverage and make coverage more affordable. Repealing the individual mandate would take our country in the wrong direction on both of these goals. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that repealing the mandate will result in 13 million fewer people with health insurance coverage in 2027 than would be the case under current law. While some of these 13 million people may forgo purchasing insurance they do not believe they need, many will become uninsured because average premiums in the individual health insurance market would increase by about 10 percent, pricing needed coverage out of their reach. Strong, stable health insurance markets are vitally important to our members and to the millions of Americans with mental health and substance use disorders."
“APA has serious concerns about provisions in the House tax reform legislation that would increase taxes on individuals pursuing higher education. We urge Congress to ensure that any final tax reform legislation rejects efforts that would make health care or graduate study less accessible. It is paramount that Congress not repeal provisions, such as the Student Loan Interest Deduction, which would put graduate study out of reach for many Americans.”
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.