Dear Editor:

The proposed Graham-Cassidy bill would have negatively affected millions of Americans and their families. Before the proposed bill failed, the Congressional Budget Office stated that the plan would cause a 20 percent premium spike and would increase the number of uninsured by 16 million Americans.

In addition to higher premiums, high deductibles would have forced more people to pay out of pocket expenses and that would have impacted low-income families especially hard. Prescription drug prices would have risen steeply, leaving the families that are already paying high premiums to pay out of pocket costs for their medications as well.

This is especially crucial for low income families that are living paycheck to paycheck. Family well-being would have been compromised through this bill because families would have to choose between providing for their family or paying for high health insurance and prescription costs.

These are only some of the consequences that would have occurred if the bill was implemented. Americans are encouraged to educate themselves on health care matters because they are the ones that will be affected. While this bill did not pass, that doesn’t mean there won’t be a similar bill, or worse, for the American families in the future.

Michelle Sonnett

Kutztown student