Senate Democrats are appalled by the draft of the Obamacare repeal bill unveiled earlier on Thursday by Senate Republicans.
In a speech on the Senate floor shortly after the discussion draft was released to the public, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York proclaimed that the bill "will result in higher costs, less care and millions of Americans will lose their health insurance, particularly through Medicaid."
He added, "It’s every bit as bad as the House bill. In some ways it’s even worse."
Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, though technically an independent, shared the Democrats' fierce criticism of the new legislation.
Sanders' ire was shared by Sen. Kamala Harris of California, who has recently emerged as a prominent and influential voice within the Democratic Party.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut went on a particularly prolonged Twitter rant against the bill, emphasizing that the Republican bill "will literally cost American lives."
Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts (who is celebrating her birthday today) announced on Twitter that she would oppose "this monstrosity of a so-called healthcare bill" on the Senate floor.
Perhaps the most incisive Twitter rant came from Sen. Bob Casey of Pennsylvania. After breaking down how the new bill would impact residents of his state, he went through specific provisions of the law to explain their devastating effect on ordinary people. These provisions include: revoking the essential health benefits requirement, reducing Medicaid funding, cutting $4 billion from the Prevention & Public Health Fund, imposing an age tax, permitting states to allow insurance companies to increase rates for individuals with pre-existing conditions and a provision that "essentially subsidizes the bonuses of Health Insurance Executives."
Shares