Brown, Summit County Health Experts Discuss How GOP Health Bill Will Harm Northeast Ohio Families

Press Release

Today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) joined northeast Ohio hospitals, community health centers, and local health officials to outline the harmful effects of the GOP health plan on Ohio families.

According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the House plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act would cause premiums to go up an average of about 20 percent next year.
"It's despicable for Washington politicians with taxpayer-funded insurance to raise prices on working Ohioans," said Brown. "Instead of padding the pockets of insurance company CEOs, we should be working together to lower costs for all Ohioans."

Following the release of the Congressional Budget Office's latest estimate on the number of people who will be left without health insurance under the American Health Care Act last week, Brown reiterated his concerns with the House healthcare plan.

Brown has outlined how the GOP's plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act would hurt Ohio veterans and schools, as well as Ohioans getting treatment for opioid addiction.

The bill would also strip away protections for individuals with pre-existing conditions, meaning Ohioans with conditions like asthma and cancer would be charged more for their health insurance.

Brown was joined by representatives from Summa Health, Akron Children's Hospital, AxessPointe, and ASIA, Inc. Federally Qualified Health Centers, Akron Public Schools, the City of Akron, and Summit County.

"We see the need for reform and for doing healthcare differently, and we have countless examples of how our clinicians at Summa are moving in that direction. Unfortunately, what we now see in the figures and projections surrounding the impact of the American Health Care Act to us as a hospital system, and to the patients we serve, does not represent a workable solution to our nation's healthcare challenges," said Dr. Cliff Deveny, Interim President and CEO of Summa Health.

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