AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) President and CEO David J. Skorton, MD, and AAMC Chief Public Policy Officer Danielle Turnipseed, JD, MHSA, MPP, issued the following statement about proposed policies within the budget reconciliation legislation passed by the U.S. Senate and soon to be considered by the U.S. House of Representatives:
“The reconciliation bill passed by the Senate would cut more than $1 trillion from the Medicaid program over the next decade and, according to the Congressional Budget Office, leave 11.8 million people without health care coverage. This alone warrants rejecting the legislation, to say nothing of the bill’s other health and higher education provisions that would further harm communities and exacerbate workforce shortages.
We again urge the House to reject these harmful proposals that cut Medicaid funding, reduce access to health care, and limit federal student financial aid for aspiring doctors. These policies would make it harder for patients and communities to obtain high-quality care – especially those in rural and underserved areas. Instead, we call on leaders to work with the heath care community to pursue policies that meaningfully protect the health of the American people and sustain and strengthen our nation’s health care infrastructure.”