Yesterday, the AARP slammed Graham-Cassidy, saying, that it would charge seniors an age tax up to $16,000, making healthcare unaffordable for millions of older Americans. Yet this isn’t stopping Scott Wagner and Paul Mango from supporting this plan that would be disastrous for Pennsylvania’s seniors.
“Paul Mango and Scott Wagner are simply refusing to stand up for Pennsylvania’s seniors,” said Beth Melena, communications director for the Pennsylvania Democratic Party. “They want to charge older Pennsylvanians an age tax and throw seniors in nursing homes on the streets. If Paul Mango and Scott Wagner want to represent all Pennsylvanians as governor, they need to do what’s right and come out against Graham-Cassidy immediately.”
BACKGROUND
“For a 60-year-old earning $25,000 a year, premiums and out-of-pocket costs could increase by as much as $16,174 a year if they wanted to keep their current coverage.” [AARP, 9/21/17]
“In an emailed response to questions, Mango’s campaign spokesman, Matt Beynon, said his boss is ‘still examining Graham Cassidy and wants to make sure that Pennsylvania gets treated fairly.’ But he remains a fan of the ‘idea of states having more power in their health care decisions.’” [PennLive, 9/22/17]
“The Graham-Cassidy bill is a last-ditch effort to ram a bad bill, developed behind closed doors, through Congress,” said David Certner, AARP legislative policy director for government affairs. “Like earlier bills, it would increase health care costs by including an age tax, reducing coverage and undermining protections for people living with conditions like cancer or diabetes.” [AARP, 9/21/17]
“Graham-Cassidy would also allow states to get federal waivers for insurers to charge older Americans more so as to lower the cost for younger policyholders. The ACA limits the expense for older policyholders at three times the amount younger ones pay.” [AARP, 9/21/17]