The following article by Diane Dewar, Associate Professor of Health Policy, Management and Behavior, University at Albany, State University of New York, was posted on the Conversation website December 2, 2017:
The new tax bill, passed by the Senate early Saturday, is not just about taxes. It has significant consequences for the American health care system – especially for the most vulnerable of our citizens.
If the proposed tax bill comes to fruition, it will reduce the affordability of health care for many Americans. Without access to care, our sickest and most vulnerable – especially the the poor and elderly – will suffer an increasing chance of poorer health outcomes.
What’s more, the bill’s long-term outcomes will be bad for our economy, resulting in lost productivity, lost wages and increased health care costs. If Americans become less healthy and have less access to health care, then everyone loses. Continue reading “The new tax bill will make Americans less healthy – and that’s bad for the economy”