WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, on Thursday released a statement after the House of Representatives passed the American Health Care Act, the Republican bill to repeal popular patient protections included in the Affordable Care Act, by a vote of 217-213. Earlier this year, Murphy gave a Powerpoint presentation that laid out the devastating effects a prior version of the bill would have on families and the entire U.S. health care system

“House Republicans just passed a bill they know will end insurance for 24 million and make insurance totally unaffordable for anybody with a pre-existing condition. That’s an abomination,” said Murphy. “This is not a health care bill – it’s a tax cut for millionaires that’s paid for by taking insurance away from the sick and jacking up prices for the healthy. Virtually no one in America wants this bill – it polls at about 18% – and the Senate should bury it before it ever gets to our door. 

"We all know our health care system has problems, but those won’t be solved by ripping insurance away from people who need it to live. I’ll work with anyone who’s willing to make sure this never gets to the president’s desk so that we can have a bipartisan process that preserves what works in the Affordable Care Act and fixes what needs improvement."

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