Doctors and patient advocates are slamming the Senate Republicans' healthcare plan

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June 22, 2017 8:18 PM

The groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and American Hospital Association, are critics of Republican efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare.

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Doctors and patient groups slammed the Better Care Reconciliation Act released by Republican Senators on Thursday, taking issue in particular with Medicaid cuts in the bill.The groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Physicians, and American Heart Association, are critical of Republican efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare.The Senate's plan, like one passed by theHouse of Representatives rolls back many of the provisions of Obamacare, including taking deep cuts from the Medicaid program.

Heres what the groups thought of the bill

The American Academy of Pediatrics, which represents 66,000 pediatricians, opposed the BCRA, especially because it was left out of the conversation around its drafting.

The American Lung Association also opposed the bill, citing the Medicaid cuts.

"The proposed cuts to Medicaid under this bill will be devastating for children, seniors and people living with disabilities for whom healthcare is critical. Cuts to Medicaid will lead to more asthma attacks," ALA President Harold Wimmersaid in a statementThursday.

"You're never going to get everything right," Erika Sward, the assistant vice president of national advocacy at the ALA told Business Insider. But when you completely exclude patient organizations from the conversations, "you're more likely to get it wrong," she said.

The American Heart Association didn't mince words in its criticism of the BCRA.

The March of Dimes criticized the cuts to coverage for children and pregnant women.

The American Hospital Association, which represents thousands of hospitals and health systems, was unhappy with the cuts to the Medicaid program.

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