ACOG: The BCRA Cannot Be Fixed

Washington, DC—Haywood Brown, M.D., President of The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) released the following statement regarding today’s revisions proposed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) to the U.S. Senate’s Better Care Reconciliation Act:

“This most recent version of the Better Care Reconciliation Act is not “better” for patients. The BCRA is deeply flawed, cannot be fixed and keeps getting worse. Its original version deliberately stripped landmark women’s health gains made by the Affordable Care Act, turning back the clock on women’s health. This new version threatens to leave patients with preexisting conditions without care. Senators drafting these proposals still aren’t listening to America’s doctors. Yesterday, ACOG joined leaders representing 560,000 frontline physicians on Capitol Hill with one unified message to Senators: the BCRA is dangerous for patients and must be rejected.

“ACOG’s bottom line is simple: No legislation should take away coverage that patients have today. There’s only one solution. The Senate should put the BCRA where it belongs, in the circular file, not on the floor for a vote. Republican and Democratic senators should work with ob-gyns and other physicians on a new approach that will preserve women’s access to contraception and maternity care and improve the health care system for everyone. We stand ready to partner with the U.S. House and Senate and the White House on practical solutions to improve our nation’s health and reduce health care costs.”

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (The College), a 501(c)(3) organization, is the nation’s leading group of physicians providing health care for women. As a private, voluntary, nonprofit membership organization of more than 58,000 members, The College strongly advocates for quality health care for women, maintains the highest standards of clinical practice and continuing education of its members, promotes patient education, and increases awareness among its members and the public of the changing issues facing women’s health care. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), a 501(c)(6) organization, is its companion organization. www.acog.org