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WASHINGTON U.S. Rep. Chris Collins, R-Clarence, came under fire Friday as Democrats and health groups charted out their next moves to protect the Affordable Care Act and turn up the pressure on Republicans, who are defending their health-care overhaul legislation they barely managed to heave across the finish line in the House on Thursday.

Collins, one of the first lawmakers to back Trump, voted for the bill, which narrowly passed without a single vote from any of the Democrats in the House.

He told the Washington Post that he wasnt worried about voting for the bill before it had been rated by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.

Were still comfortable were saving billions and billions of dollars, Collins said.

Yet the GOP health-care bill, which now heads over to the Senate, is likely to be a big political hot potato in next years election, as it could disrupt health insurance for millions of Americans by dismantling big parts of the Affordable Care Act.

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand called the Trump health care bill atrocious and said it must be defeated in the Senate.

Health care shouldnt be about politics it is about people and this bill would harm people, Gillibrand said in a statement. The only beneficiaries of this bill are big insurance companies and the wealthiest among us, with the price tag being paid by everyone else through higher premiums, less coverage, and millions of vulnerable Americans losing their insurance.

Gillibrand cited an age tax that would let insurance companies charge higher premiums to those aged 50 to 64 years old and warned that up to 24 million Americans with insurance could lose that coverage and that individuals with pre-existing conditions could lose their protections against premium discrimination granted under Obamacare.

Democratic political groups are poised and ready to attack moderate Republicans who supported it and could be vulnerable in 2018.

After Collins told CNN that he hadnt read the entire text of the legislation, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee was quick to blast the Republican from New York, saying he doesnt respect or care about his constituents.

This disturbing admission makes it clear that Collins doesnt respect or care about the people who sent him to Washington, said Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesman Evan Lukaske. Instead of reading pharmaceutical stock financial statements, Collins should actually read the legislation that would take away health care from thousands of his constituents.

When the Buffalo News asked about Collins comments, his spokesman, Michael McAdams, noted that Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., also said he had not read the entire health bill.

Congressman Collins has been intimately involved in the creation of this legislation from its inception ... He understands the impact it would have on Western New Yorkers, McAdams said in the Buffalo News. To infer Congressman Collins doesnt understand the disastrous impact Obamacare has had on our region and our nation is absolutely shameful.

Gillibrand acknowledged that Obamacare isnt perfect and that health insurance remains too costly for many Americans.

Congress should fix that, Gillibrand said. There are two ways to do that. Subsidize insurance companies further with taxpayer dollars or create a not-for-profit public option that cuts insurance companies and their profits out of the equation to lower premiums, drug prices, and out-of-pocket costs for everyone. I believe we should fight for that public option but until then, I will work as hard as I can to defeat this misguided and purely political effort that will hurt New York families.

New York State officials were also critical of the healthcare bills passage.

The Republican health care bill is reckless and damaging for our nation and for New York, Comptroller Thomas D. DiNapoli said in a statement. The bill means far fewer New Yorkers would have insurance, penalizes those who suffer from pre-existing conditions and potentially punches a big hole in our state budget. Members voted for this disastrous bill without knowing its true cost and impact, leaving millions of Americans behind with no options. New Yorkers deserve better from Washington.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo described the bill as an unconscionable piece of legislation and said the bill would cost New York nearly $7 billion.

Sadly, some representatives in New York have sold their vote and turned their backs on the very constituents they represent, Cuomo said in a statement. This bill is a targeted assault against our values, punishing New Yorkers because we support womens reproductive rights and including the Collins/Faso amendment which would devastate the states health care industry, put millions of New Yorkers at risk, and increase the total cost of this bill on New York to $6.9 billion.

Despite the vocal opposition of the American people, radical conservative ideologues are still advancing a disastrous bill, Cuomo said. I urge all Americans to call their Senators and tell them to stand with the people they represent by voting no on this reprehensible legislation.

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Democrats blast Collins over health bill - The Livingston County News