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Gillibrand speaks out against GOP health care bill

Chris Caya WBFO News

U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand says people need to "fight back" against the proposed Republican health care bill. Gillibrand calls it "disastrous."

Gillibrand said the revised GOP bill is harmful and will not guarantee access to basic affordable health care. She said hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers won't have access to primary care services if Planned Parenthood is de-funded.

"The other problem is, before we had Obamacare, some insurance companies charged women more just because they were women. And they charged them because they might become pregnant some day. And some, if you became pregnant, they would drop you because now that's a pre-existing condition and you're going to cost more and they won't make enough money off you," Gillibrand said.

The bill also allows for so called "skinny plans" that only provide catastrophic coverage.  
    
"And what that will do is anyone who's healthy and doesn't really want health care might choose that plan because they think 'I'll never get sick.' But what that does is all the sick or older people who need more coverage will then have to pay much, much more," Gillibrand said.

A Hudson Valley Democrat, Gillibrand said she'll do everything in her power to block the bill from becoming law. She said to really fix health care, the focus should be on letting people buy into Medicare at a price they can afford.