Donnelly Statement on Senate Health Care Bill Advancing for a Vote

Statement

U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly released the following after the Senate voted to move forward in considering the Senate health care bill. Donnelly voted against the procedural vote.

Donnelly said, "I have said for years that there is bipartisan support for ideas to improve and strengthen the American health care system in a way that would reduce costs while improving access. I'm disappointed that the Senate has decided to make this a partisan process in an attempt to jam through proposals that would threaten the health and economic well-being of millions of Americans.

"I am going to continue to do everything possible to fight for quality, affordable health care for Hoosiers, and that is why I will be leading an amendment to protect Medicaid, including Indiana's HIP 2.0 program. I think we can all agree that our health care system can be improved, however that cannot be achieved by taking away health care from people or reversing the progress states like Indiana have made to provide affordable health care."

On Monday, Donnelly announced he would offer an amendment that would protect Medicaid, including HIP 2.0 and the Medicaid expansion nationwide. The Senate health care bill would drastically cut Medicaid and end HIP 2.0 as we know it, undermining coverage for more than 400,000 Hoosiers. These proposed cuts would impact families, students, adults and children with disabilities, and seniors.

Donnelly supported and worked with then-Governor Pence to expand Indiana's Medicaid program through the Affordable Care Act. It's a program that Pence has touted as a "national model of how to provide affordable health care coverage to our most vulnerable citizens" and a critical component of Indiana's effort to fight the opioid epidemic.

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