WASHINGTON—Bishop Frank J. Dewane of Venice, Florida,
Chairman of the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human
Development, reacted strongly to the revised Senate health reform bill, the
“Better Care Reconciliation Act” (BCRA).

“The USCCB is reviewing carefully the health care bill
introduced by Senate leadership earlier today. On an initial read, we do
not see enough improvement to change our assessment that the proposal is
unacceptable. We
recognize the incremental improvement in funding the fight against opioid
addiction, for instance, but more is needed to honor our moral obligation to
our brothers and sisters living in poverty and to ensure that essential
protections for the unborn remain in the bill.”

In an earlier letter concerning the draft of the BCRA
that was introduced in draft format on June 22, 2017, Bishop Dewane had warned
that, “[t]he BCRA’s restructuring of Medicaid will adversely impact those
already in deep health poverty. At a time when tax cuts that would seem
to benefit the wealthy and increases in other areas of federal spending, such
as defense, are being contemplated, placing a ‘per capita cap’ on medical
coverage for the poor is unconscionable.”

The full letter from June 27 can be found at: https://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/health-care/upload/senate-discussion-letter-health-care-reform-2017-06-27.pdf

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Keywords: U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishops, USCCB, Better Care Reconciliation Act, BCRA, Bishop Frank J. Dewane,
Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, Affordable Care Act,
respect for life, human dignity, health care, affordability, abortion, poverty,
immigration, conscience.

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MEDIA CONTACT:
Judy Keane
202-541-3200

Source:: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops