Vital health and social services face steep cuts if tax reform passes

The Republican tax proposal that is expected to pass out of the Senate Finance Committee later this week would repeal the ACA’s individual mandate. Repealing the individual mandate would result in approximately 13 million more Americans being uninsured by 2027, with four million losing coverage as soon as 2018.

But the damage wouldn’t stop there. If tax reform becomes law, deficits would spike by $1.5 trillion over the next 10 years, which would trigger massive automatic cuts to health and social programs, including eliminating the Prevention and Public Health Fund (which supplies 12% of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s budget). Medicare and federal student loans would face cuts, and many vital programs would be zeroed out entirely, including the Social Services Block Grants, which supports substance abuse treatment, foster care and adoption, and special services for people with disabilities, among many other resources; vocational support for people with disabilities and workers who have lost their jobs due to broader economic changes; the Crime Victims Fund; and more.

This is all being proposed to fund enormous tax cuts for corporations and the wealthiest Americans. 

Our colleagues at Trust for America’s Health are circulating a sign-on letter to be sent to the Senate detailing the dire consequences tax reform poses for public health and prevention. Many organizations have already signed on. If your organization is interested in signing on, please contact Dara Lieberman by 1PM Eastern on Monday, November 20.