Fmr. CMS Administrator Donald Berwick: ‘We’re Going to Have 25,000 Deaths a Year’ Because of the Big, Beautiful Bill

RUSH TRANSCRIPT:
Velshi: “Donald, there are lots of things to criticize in this bill, but but to me, having grown up as a Canadian and seeing that the strides that we’ve tried to make in America with health care, this one worries me the most because it’s not just about health care. If you’re on Medicare or Medicaid, it’s about hospitals disappearing, health care workers disappearing, standard of life going down, life expectancy going down. This is this is much bigger than payment for health services.”

BERWICK: “It definitely is. Coverage matters. This bill will roll back many of the gains of ObamaCare to the tune of some 16 or 17 million people who will lose coverage. But also, as you said, it’s cutting back on the social safety net more thoroughly. Medicare will be cut under this bill. People most people don’t realize that. But Medicare will lose about $500 million, $1 billion over the next 10 years. Also, the bill and Obama.
>> And Trump policies.
>> Cut back on some of.
>> The really important. Supports to health in.
>> This country. The food stamp system snap is.
>> Being cut back.
>> By 74% under other provisions that Trump has, has proposed, and states are going to be hurt hard.
>> The when.
>> The patients aren’t going to go away, when Medicaid coverage goes away. So states are going.
>> To have to.
>> Make up for deficit, and states are sources of enormous amounts of support to communities and people for housing and food security. It’s a it’s a devastating bill.
>> The estimate.
>> Is that when Medicaid cut.
>> Is cut.
>> You lose about one life for every 800 beneficiaries that