To the editor:, The CBO report on the GOP’s American Health Care Act confirmed that it will have a crippling effect on the health coverage of Americans, and I am concerned that Governor Christie and New Jersey’s Congressional representatives are not taking this impact seriously enough., Christie has previously expressed only mild concerns about the cuts to the Medicaid expansion, which has insured over 550,000 more adults in New Jersey. He even said he was “heartened by the idea” that nothing would change for four years, as if four years fix the fact that many low income people will lose their health insurance. His attitude toward thousands of New Jerseyans who won’t be able to afford health care after a freeze on funding levels and drop in federal funding is far too unconcerned and aloof., Also with less people covered, more people will use the emergency room for their health care. Christie is supporting the bill that will make this charity care in hospitals more likely, and yet he also recently proposed a $50 million cut to charity care. Why is he endorsing a policy that will put greater strain on hospitals and at the same time cutting funding to those hospitals? This certainly does not show that he cares about health care for New Jersey residents, especially care for poor, elderly, and disabled people., It’s encouraging that Christie has met with some Congressional representatives in NJ to discuss the impact of the Medicaid rollback. However, if he and other representatives were truly concerned that this bill would harm vulnerable people, they would not be so indecisive about their support of it. Lower income people in New Jersey will lose coverage. Premiums for older people living in New Jersey will increase – and increase drastically for low income older people., Our healthcare system does need reform to combat the problems that exist, but this bill that the GOP is rushing through is clearly going to hurt thousands of the most vulnerable New Jersey residents. Especially in light of the CBO report which showed exactly how many Americans across the country would lose coverage ($14 million by 2018, $24 million by 2026), Governor Christie and other New Jersey Republicans should withdraw their support from this bill., Emily Simroth, Hillsborough
