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Schumer Says Graham-Cassidy Would Hurt Veterans

Jacquelyn Martin
/
AP
Senate Minority Leader Senator Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., speaks about healthcare last week on Capitol Hill in Washington.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., says the Graham-Cassidy bill would affect the healthcare of tens of thousands of veterans across the country.

Schumer, along with U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., called for veterans to continue having access to mental health services and substance abuse support.

One in ten veterans nationwide has Medicaid coverage, nearly 19,000 in New York alone.

If veterans lose Medicaid, they would also have problems on the private health insurance market.

The Graham-Cassidy bill would allow states to waive protections for pre-existing conditions. Insurers could discriminate against veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and charge them more for seeking healthcare.