Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) released the following statement denouncing the overwhelmingly negative impact Trumpcare would have on veterans:
“The immense sacrifice our veterans have given for our country is unquestionable and deserves our full appreciation and gratitude. As a nation, we have the responsibility to provide our veterans with all the necessary resources they need to rejoin and thrive in civilian life—of which quality affordable healthcare is an essential part. This should be obvious. However, if Senate Republicans get their way by passing Trumpcare, their actions would violate our duty to support our veterans by putting in jeopardy their very health.
“If Trumpcare becomes law, congressional Republicans and President Trump would be directly responsible for ripping quality affordable healthcare from thousands of Nevada veterans. Since 52 percent of veterans receive healthcare outside of the VA system, they face the risk of having less access to healthcare services, lower quality care, and skyrocketing premiums. Trumpcare would prevent as many as 8 million veterans nationwide from receiving the tax credits that help them afford private health insurance. With Trumpcare’s deep cuts to Medicaid, the 18,000 Nevada veterans who depend on Medicaid would be at risk of losing coverage. The 19,000 veterans in rural Nevada face the greatest risk of losing their coverage. Between 2010 and 2015, the rural uninsured rate in Nevada has dropped by 39 percent. This trend would be reversed under Trumpcare, potentially robbing thousands of veterans in rural counties of the coverage they deserve.
“Trumpcare is an egregious violation of our responsibility to ensuring the well-being of our veterans. I refuse to support this legislation and I will continue to fight against any and all attempts to sign this nauseating bill into law.”
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