Letter: Toomey telling lies about health care bill

Tuesday July 11, 2017

Editor:

Sen. Pat Toomey is telling jaw-dropping lies about the Senate Republican health care plan, lies that put the health and lives of your readers at risk ("Toomey touts health care repeal," Reading Eagle, July 7). In a short letter I will focus on only one of these massive lies: that those with employer health coverage will not be affected by the GOP bill. In fact, it repeals the Obamacare "employer mandate," meaning that businesses no longer have to insure employees, so millions with jobs will lose health care. For those lucky few still insured, the bill also guts the meaning of "insurance" by allowing employer plans that don't cover those with pre-existing conditions (such as pregnancy, childhood illnesses, etc.), meaning millions more without coverage. And it allows plans with low lifetime limits, meaning coverage can stop when someone needs it most.

Costs for the few with employer insurance will skyrocket, since the 22 million losing coverage will be begging for free emergency care, driving up costs to doctors and hospitals, costs that will be passed on to the remaining employee plans. Everyone is harmed by the Toomey bill, except for a few wealthy families receiving massive tax cuts. They are the only ones Toomey works for, not for us.

​Randall Newnham
Exeter Township
Toomey telling lies about health care bill