Virginia U.S. Sen. Mark. Warner, a member of the Senate Finance Committee, issued a scathing indictment of the draft text of the Republican healthcare repeal bill this morning::

Sen. Warner stated, “This bill would kick millions of people off their insurance, raise healthcare costs for Virginians, especially seniors, and leave states on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars for Medicaid, which provides coverage for some of our most vulnerable citizens – including the elderly, the disabled, and one-third of Virginia’s children. At the same time, it gives the wealthiest Americans a huge tax break.”

He added, “The American Medical Association, the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association and the AARP have all said that Republican plans will reduce access to affordable health insurance, and put people with pre-existing conditions at risk. This is cruel, harmful and short-sighted.”

Virginia U.S. Rep. Don Beyer issued a statement of his own today on the subject. He stated, “All legislation begins with goals. The goal of the Senate GOP bill unveiled today, like that of the House bill already passed, is not to improve health care, but rather to deliver a massive tax cut to the super-rich and eliminate health care for millions of Americans. Nearly 70 million Americans are enrolled in Medicaid today, a program which would be dramatically slashed if this bill is passed into law.

Beyer added, “These cuts would be particularly harmful for seniors, children, veterans, individuals suffering with addiction like those affected by our current opioid epidemic, individuals with mental illness, individuals with disabilities, and low-income Americans. Cutting taxes for the wealthiest among us while hurting these millions is not just ‘mean.’ It would exacerbate the opioid epidemic and eliminate many Americans’ ability to participate in society and be taxpaying citizens. It would do irreparable harm to millions of Americans.”