Karen Handel Supports Gutting the Healthcare System Despite the Fact

Karen Handel supports gutting the healthcare system despite the fact that gutting it would increase the cost of healthcare, leave twenty-four million Americans without health insurance, and allow insurance companies to deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions, like asthma, cancer and diabetes. Handel voted for legislation that sabotages the healthcare market, even though Georgia insurance companies proposed healthcare premium increases as high as fifty-six percent. Handel Voted With Donald Trump 98 Percent Of The Time. According to FiveThirtyEight, Handel voted with Donald Trump 98.3 percent of the time. [FiveThirtyEight, accessed 10/8/18] At A Debate, Handel Said She Would Have Voted For The American Health Care Act. “[00:30:57] HANDEL: You know, once again, Congress failed to deliver on its promise, its commitment, to not only the people of the 6th, but to Americans. For six years—six years!—there was talk of repealing and replacing and we had the opportunity to do it—was the bill perfect? No. But I would not have allowed the pursuit of perfection to keep us from doing that repeal and replace and moving forward with some progress for businesses and American families. Obamacare has been the single biggest intrusion into our lives in my lifetime. It is telling us who our doctors are gonna be, our premiums have skyrocketed. We made—Congress made a promise to the people of this country, they failed to deliver. As your Congressman, for the 6th district, I will deliver because I understand how to get things done and my track record shows it.” [BrandBank Candidate Forum, 3/29/17] Economic Policy Institute: The AHCA “Would Cost Americans Roughly $33 Billion A Year In Higher Out- Of-Pocket Costs By 2026. “Yet despite this vociferous complaining about how high OOP costs burden American households under the ACA, the replacement plan that these leaders are pushing would substantially increase out-of- pocket costs for these same Americans. The American Health Care Act (AHCA) would cost Americans roughly $33 billion a year in higher out-of-pocket costs by 2026. That means the Republican claim that they want to repeal the ACA and replace it with the AHCA because they want to relieve Americans of too-high OOP costs is a demonstrable lie.” [Economic Policy Institute, 3/22/17] Headline: “CBO: 24 Million Fewer Insured Under House Bill Repealing Obamacare.” [Politico, 3/13/17] Handel Wanted To Repeal And Replace Obamacare. “Obamacare is the single biggest intrusion into the lives of Americans in decades. Healthcare costs and insurance premiums have skyrocketed. Obamacare must be repealed and replaced with market-based, patient-centered reforms.” [Karen Handel for Congress, Issues, accessed 10/8/18] ACA Banned Insurance Companies From Denying Coverage To People With Pre-Existing Conditions. “If that argument prevails in the courts, it would render unconstitutional Obamacare provisions that ban insurance companies from denying coverage to people with pre-existing conditions — arguably the most popular component of the 2010 health care law.” [NPR, 6/8/18] Handel Voted For Final Passage Of The Tax Cuts And Jobs Act. In December 2017, Handel voted for: “Brady, R-Texas, motion to concur in the Senate amendment to the tax overhaul that would revise the federal income tax system by: lowering the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent; lowering individual tax rates through 2025; limiting state and local deductions to $10,000 through 2025; decreasing the limit on deductible mortgage debt through 2025; and creating a new system of taxing U.S. corporations with foreign subsidiaries. Specifically, it would repeal personal exemptions and would roughly double the standard deduction through 2025. It would raise the child tax credit to $2,000 through 2025, would repeal the alternative minimum tax for corporations and provide for broader exemptions to the tax for individuals through 2025. It would double individual exemptions to the estate tax and gift tax through 2025, and would establish a new top tax rate for "pass-through" business income through 2025. It would effectively eliminate the penalty for not purchasing health insurance under the 2010 health care overhaul law in 2019. It would also open portions of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling.” The motion was passed 224-201. [HR 1, Vote #699, 12/20/17; CQ Floor Votes, 12/20/17] Final Tax Bill Eliminated Central Affordable Care Act Provision, Leading To 13 Million Fewer Americans With Insurance. “The individual mandate is part of the Affordable Care Act, and removing it was a top priority for Trump and congressional Republicans. The Congressional Budget Office projects the change will increase insurance premiums and lead to 13 million fewer Americans with insurance in a decade, while also cutting government spending by more than $300 billion over that period.” [Washington Post, 12/15/17] HEADLINE: Republican Tax Plan Will Make Health Insurance More Expensive. [Newsweek, 12/18/17] GOP Tax Bill Would Cause Health Insurance Premiums To Rise, And Could Lead Insurers To Drop Out Of Regional Markets. “The final GOP plan will repeal the Affordable Care Act’s individual insurance mandate, which would allow young and healthy people to leave the insurance pool, forcing insurers to compensate by raising prices due to the higher costs of insuring only less-healthy people. Not only would premiums likely rise, but many insurers could drop out of regional markets.” [Newsweek, 12/18/17] Georgia Insurance Companies Proposed Healthcare Premium Increases As High As Fifty-Six Percent. “State insurance officials Wednesday gave approval to premium increases of more than 50 percent for the four insurers participating in next year’s insurance exchange in Georgia. […] The premium hike for Alliant Health Plans, which serves counties in North Georgia, rose to 53.3 percent, while Kaiser Foundation Health Plan increased its average premium to 56.7 percent.” [Georgia Health News, 9/28/17] .

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