WASHINGTON (AP) — Medical groups are beginning to weigh in on the Senate Republican health care bill, and they have problems with the proposal.
The American Academy of Pediatrics says the bill would hurt children by scaling back Medicaid. Its president, Dr. Fernando Stein, says the plan was crafted without input from pediatricians and "would tear down" the progress the nation has made by achieving insurance coverage for 95 percent of children.
America's Essential Hospitals, which represents more than 300 safety-net health facilities, says the version the Senate released Thursday "might be worse overall" than the House legislation and might lead to hospitals reducing services or closing.
The Association of American Medical Colleges says the Senate plan would leave millions of people without health coverage, and others with only bare-bones insurance plans.