People who know Health Care the best say the House Bill is still the worst
PEOPLE WHO KNOW HEALTH CARE THE BEST SAY THE HOUSE BILL IS STILL THE WORST
Republicans were quick to celebrate yesterday at President Trump’s White House Bash over their successful 1 vote margin on a partisan repeal of health care.
While they high-five themselves over ramming a bill through Congress, the people who know health care the best say this bill is the worst for their constituents health care.
Here is just a sampling of the quick and fierce backlash to yesterday’s vote…
From Patient Groups
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network: “”the House of Representatives passed a health care bill that could leave cancer patients, survivors and those at risk for the disease unable to access or keep quality health insurance. The bill would create a coverage patchwork whereby patients with pre-existing conditions could be charged more for their coverage while simultaneously weakening the rules for what health services will be covered.”
National Breast Cancer Coalition: “ .” “Shocking. And shame on them. The House has made it clear that they do not care about our lives. […] Their attack on coverage for pre-existing conditions, disguised in funding for high risk pools does not fool us. Their attack on Medicaid will hurt the most vulnerable. There is nothing to like about this bill.”
American Diabetes Association: “The AHCA falls short of the minimum standards for an ACA replacement, which the Association outlined and that fellow patient advocacy groups agree are necessary to ensure continued access to health care for those who need it.”
March Of Dimes: “The American Health Care Act fails to serve the needs of pregnant women, mothers, and babies across our nation. The March of Dimes estimates 6.5 million low-income women of childbearing age will lose coverage, denying them the ability to get healthy before they get pregnant. Classifying pregnancy as a pre-existing condition – and charging exorbitant rates for maternity benefits — would effectively put medical care out of reach for millions of women at a time when they need it most. Many Americans could find that their health plans are specifically written to exclude the care they are most likely to need. This is not the solution to our health system’s challenges that women and families are asking for.”
American Lung Association: “The American Health Care Act will harm patients with lung disease and lung cancer.”
From Physicians, Nurses, Social Workers and Psychologists
American Medical Association: “The Bill Passed By The House Today Will Result In Millions Of Americans Losing Access To Quality, Affordable Health Insurance And Those With Pre-Existing Conditions Face The Possibility Of Going Back To The Time When Insurers Could Charge Them Premiums That Made Access To Coverage Out Of The Question.”
Six Leading Physician Organizations: “Deeply Disappointed That The House Of Representatives Today Passed The American Health Care Act, An Inherently Flawed Bill That Would Do Great Harm To Our Patients.”
American College Of Physicians: “This vote makes coverage unaffordable for people with pre-existing conditions, allows insurers to opt-out of covering essential benefits like cancer screening, mental health, and maternity care, and cuts and caps the federal contribution to Medicaid while sunsetting Medicaid expansion.
American Association Of Family Physicians: “This legislation will harm millions of their constituents. It will destabilize our health care system, cause 24 million Americans to lose their coverage, and allow for discrimination against patients based on their gender, age, and health status. Its inadequate and temporary high-risk pool funds are simply a band aid that does nothing to provide health security to the nearly one in three Americans who have a pre-existing condition. Its provision allowing annual and lifetime caps on benefits diminishes the value of every policy sold in the future.”
American Academy Of Pediatrics: “a dangerous policy precedent and clearing the first hurdle to reversing the tremendous progress we’ve made in children’s health care coverage.”
National Association Of Social Workers: “While the changes were successful in garnering sufficient votes to pass AHCA they did nothing to alleviate the devastating impact of AHCA on the nation’s most vulnerable citizens. In fact, the bill passed today will likely exacerbate the challenge of providing affordable health care for poor and low-income Americans.”
American Psychological Association: “urged the Senate to reject the bill, which is projected to take health insurance away from millions of Americans and undermine the vitally important Medicaid program…’
From Hospitals
American Hospital Association: “…the proposal eliminates essential protections for older and sicker patients, including those with pre-existing conditions, such as cancer patients and the chronically ill. It does little to help the 24 million Americans who would be left without coverage following repeal and makes deep cuts to Medicaid, which provides essential services for the disabled, poor and elderly people in this country”
Federation Of American Hospitals: “As passed by the House of Representatives, the AHCA fails to protect the health coverage and access to care for so many Americans. It also makes it more difficult for hospitals to deliver the care we all rely on.” [FAH, 5/4/17]
America’s Essential Hospitals: “This is legislation that will take us back to a time when working individuals and families were forced to choose between health care coverage and life’s other necessities. In fact, it will leave us in a worse place than before the law it seeks to replace, the Affordable Care Act.” [AEH, 5/4/17]
From Disability Rights Groups
The Arc: “The American Health Care Act shows callous and dangerous disregard for the wellbeing of people with disabilities and their families and erases decades of progress.”
National Disability Rights Network: “today, we took a giant step backward. The passage of the American Health Care Act, and the Members who voted for it, chose to relegate people with disabilities to second class status when it comes to health insurance. With their votes, they approved of people with disabilities being segregated into different insurance, forced to live in poverty and inflicted on them a great worry over how they will get health care the next time an issue arises. “
From Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Groups
Mental Health America: ““Today, the sunny, flamboyant promises of better health care at a lower cost during a political campaign gave way to the cold, dark realities of politics in America. Today was a tragic day for all those dealing with or caring for someone with serious mental health concerns – a day that a majority of the members of Congress stopped listening to them, and suspended the bipartisanship that has characterized so much of the gains that have been made during the past year.”
From Consumer Groups
AARP: “AARP is deeply disappointed in today’s vote by the House to pass this deeply flawed health bill. The bill will put an Age Tax on us as we age, harming millions of American families with health insurance, forcing many to lose coverage or pay thousands of dollars more for health care. In addition, the bill now puts at risk the 25 million older adults with pre-existing conditions, such as cancer and diabetes, who would likely find health care unaffordable or unavailable to them.”
Consumers Union: “‘The House of Representatives today failed their constituents and the American health system by passing the American Health Care Act. In a field where ‘do no harm’ is the standard, this bill does nothing but harm American families. Taking insurance away from 24 million people, devastating Medicaid, rolling back protections for preexisting conditions and older consumers, increasing out-of-pocket costs, encouraging junk insurance plans without any meaningful coverage, and even allowing the elimination of out-of-pocket cost caps and reinstating lifetime limits for the nearly half of all Americans who get their coverage through their employers — these are the real consequences of the AHCA. Each iteration has only made this bad bill worse.’”
National Farmers Union: “Because AHCA would both hinder access to health insurance for millions of people as well as drastically impair the effectiveness and affordability of rural healthcare, we are deeply disappointed by today’s House vote to approve the bill.”
Justice In Aging: “Today, the House of Representatives voted to take away healthcare from millions of Americans to give tax cuts to the wealthy, with seniors being hit the hardest. The American Health Care Act (AHCA) is an all-out assault on the health and long-term care needs of older adults.”
From Women and Families
Planned Parenthood: “This is the worst bill for women’s health in a generation. This disastrous legislation once again makes being a woman a pre-existing condition; ‘defunds’ Planned Parenthood; guts maternity coverage; strips 24 million of their health insurance; lets insurance companies charge people with pre-existing conditions exorbitant rates; forces new moms back to work shortly after giving birth; and reduces access to contraception. In short, this bill makes it harder to prevent unintended pregnancy, harder to have a healthy pregnancy, and harder to raise a family. Alarm bells should be ringing in every house across America.”
National Partnership For Women And Families: ““In a callous move that imperils women’s health and economic security, the House of Representatives today passed the American Health Care Act (AHCA), an atrocious and damaging bill that would strip health coverage from 24 million people, raise health care costs for millions more, gut Medicaid and deny millions of people access to preventive and potentially life-saving care at Planned Parenthood health centers.”
MomsRising: “The vote today in the House of Representatives to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is irresponsible, damaging and a shameful instance of lawmakers putting partisan interests ahead of the country’s interests. The bill the House passed would take coverage away from 24 million people, decimate our nation’s cherished Medicaid program, and gut protections for those with pre-existing conditions. It would make health insurance less affordable, less accessible and less comprehensive for the families that need it most. It is nothing less than an assault on our health.”