Press Releases

Congresswoman Chellie Pingree today expressed her strong opposition to a Senate-passed reconciliation bill that would repeal key parts of the Affordable Care Act and defund Planned Parenthood.  The House will vote on the legislation later today and the President has said he would veto it if passed.

“The Affordable Care Act has worked to dramatically cut the number of uninsured Americans, including thousands of Mainers who are finally able to access quality health care,” said Pingree.  “Under the devastating legislation we’re voting on today, all those gains would be reversed and an estimated 22 million people would lose their health coverage. And Republicans have no plans—not one—on how to help the people they would leave in the lurch.”

Among other elements of the Affordable Care Act, the legislation would repeal Medicaid expansion and tax credits that have allowed millions of Americans to purchase private insurance. The legislation would also prohibit federal funding through Medicaid that goes to Planned Parenthood to pay for key preventive health services. 

“This legislation threatens the millions of American who go to Planned Parenthood every year for things like birth control, cancer screenings, and wellness exams,” said Pingree.  “In many parts of the country, a Planned Parenthood center is the only option for low-income women to access these services.  This politically motivated move would be a public health disaster.”