SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO-AM) -- It's the same Congressional Budget Office report on the Republican Senate health care bill, but the reactions couldn't be more different.
Below are statements from the South Dakota Democratic Party and U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) on the report.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. - The South Dakota Democratic Party released the following statement from Chairwoman Ann Tornberg responding to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimate that the Senate Republican health care bill would cause 22 million Americans to lose their health care coverage: "This CBO score confirms what we already knew - the Senate GOP health care bill, which Senator John Thune helped to write behind closed doors, and which he and Senator Mike Rounds now champion, will drive up costs for working families and take health care away from 22 million Americans, including tens of thousands of South Dakotans. The bill will devastate rural areas and threaten rural hospitals, weaken essential health benefits, and be disaster for women, the elderly, and disabled. While South Dakota families, communities, and health care providers would be devastated, millionaires and billionaires would receive a tax cut. Taking health care away from South Dakota families to give tax cuts to the wealthy will not do anything to improve South Dakotans' health care. Democrats will keep fighting for affordable health care for all Americans. We hope the Republicans in Congress - especially John Thune, Mike Rounds, and Kristi Noem - will finally join us to work in a bi-partisan way to create a plan that really does improve the coverage and health care of all South Dakotans."
WASHINGTON — U.S. Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) issued the following statement regarding the Congressional Budget Office’s report on the Senate health care discussion draft:
“Today’s Congressional Budget Office report confirms that the Senate health care bill will soon start lowering premiums for millions of Americans relative to the unsustainable premium increases under the broken Obamacare system,” said Thune. “This legislation does away with the burdensome Obamacare mandates and taxes affecting the middle class and hardworking families — giving Americans the freedom to choose the health insurance that best fits their needs. The bill stabilizes insurance markets collapsing under Obamacare, improves the affordability of health insurance, preserves care for those with pre-existing conditions, and ensures those on Medicaid don’t have the rug pulled out from under them. Americans have suffered under Obamacare for long enough. This bill will enable them to access more affordable, patient-centered health care.”