Reform Movement Slams Senate Republican Health Care Bill
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(JTA) — The Reform movement sharply criticized a Republican bill in the Senate that would repeal and replace major parts of the Affordable Care Act and make severe cuts to Medicaid.
On Thursday, Senate Republicans revealed a draft of a measure that would get rid of the legal requirement that most Americans have health coverage, as well as offer federal tax credits to aid Americans in paying for health insurance.
The Reform movement called the proposed measure “deeply harmful.”
“The Senate bill revealed this morning is a major undermining of American health care that will hurt Americans most in need: the elderly, the poor, children and people with disabilities,” Barbara Weinstein, director of the Commission on Social Action of Reform Judaism, said in a statement on behalf of the Reform movement. “Jewish tradition’s emphasis on caring for the sick and lifting up those in need inspires us to call on Senators to reject the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017.”
In May, the House of Representatives passed a similar bill backed by Republicans and President Trump. Jewish groups, including the Reform movement, the Jewish Federations of North America, and B’nai B’rith International denounced that measure, while the Republican Jewish Coalition praised it.
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