Appalled by Trump health plan

What kind of a society penalizes its sick, poor and elderly? According to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, our own — if the Trump/Ryan AHCA is enacted into law. The CBO estimates that health premiums for the average 60 year old would skyrocket to $16,000 per year under the AHCA. And 23 million more Americans will be left without basic health insurance according to the report released this week.

Those with pre-existing conditions will face even steeper premium hikes. Medical bankruptcies will rise once again and, in some cases, untreated illness or even death for those unable to pay. And this is before massive proposed cuts to Medicaid are included.

The Administration, in conjunction with its Congressional allies, are financing a $600 billion tax cut for the highest-earning Americans on the backs of anyone earning the median income ($61,000 in Sonoma County in 2015) or less. That is the working class, the disadvantaged and the sick.

According to a recent Quinnipiac polling, only 20 percent of our fellow citizens approve of the AHCA. Our own elected representatives agree. Yet the GOP Congress seems reluctant to listen. Urge your friends and relatives in conservative states to contact their legislators, or even join organizations like Indivisible or Organizing for Action, groups that are standing against this appalling legislation. We have too much to lose to stay silent

Martin Weil, Sonoma