Dear Denise,
Right now, members of the United States Senate are debating over a tax reform bill which will raise the federal deficit by $1.5 trillion over 10 years. It will benefit the wealthiest Americans at the expense of patients in need, and it will be voted on TONIGHT. We need to tell Congress that this bill doesn't work for cancer patients and their families.
Specifically, we are concerned about the following provisions:
·If enacted, the bill could trigger "sequestration"-which happens when new spending is not offset by cuts to spending elsewhere. Sequestration causes automatic spending cuts which includes a $25 billion cut to Medicare. Half of doctors would lose money administering drugs under these cuts, as Medicare would not be able to reimburse them adequately, and doctors who administer drugs more often, such as oncologists, would be hit the hardest.
·The Senate version of the legislation currently includes a repeal of the individual mandate that was imposed by the Affordable Care Act (ACA or Obamacare). The individual mandate is critical to ensure a balanced marketplace in which healthy people with low health care costs purchase insurance coverage alongside people living with illness who have higher health care costs. A repeal of the individual mandate will create chaos for our health care system as this delicate balance will no longer exist. The Congressional Budget Office predicts that 13 million Americans would lose health insurance over the next 10 years as a result.
·The tax legislation as drafted by the House of Representatives wouldeliminate the medical expense deduction. Currently, patients who spend more than 10 percent of their household income on medical expenses can deduct expenses above that amount from their taxes. Cancer patients can incur significant expenses, making this change highly problematic to millions of families nationwide.
Overall, this bill will leave our nation in debt and it is critical that the final bill does not contain either a repeal of the individual mandate nor a repeal of the medical device tax deduction. These components will harm patients in need. Reach out to your Senators NOW and urge them to oppose the tax bill while it includes these provisions.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Franklin
Executive Director, Cancer Policy Institute
Cancer Support Community
Executive Director, Cancer Policy Institute
Cancer Support Community
