Source: AAFP Washington, DC, Office
Senate Republicans are drafting their version of a replacement for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) behind closed doors, with no input from physicians or patients. Family physicians must make their voices heard in this important debate. The American Academy of Family Physicians urges the Senate to reject the House-passed American Health Care Act (AHCH) and pass common-sense reforms to preserve health care coverage for all Americans.
Please use the AAFP Speak Out tool to call on Senators Rob Portman and Sherrod Brown to work toward real bipartisan solutions that lower the costs of health care and ensure greater access to comprehensive primary care.
Once again, Ohio is particularly important. Sen. Rob Portman is considered a key vote so your call (202.224.3353) or message to him is crucial.
While the process lacks transparency making it impossible to know what the Senate version of the AHCA will contain, most experts predict the bill will contain similar elements to the AHCA that passed in the U.S. House. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that, if the AHCA is enacted, 23 million Americans would lose coverage next year. It follows that 539,700 people in the state of Ohio would lose their health coverage under the AHCA. And, Ohioans on average would experience dramatically increased premiums under the AHCA—an average of a $990 increase in their annual premium by 2018. In addition, the AHCA threatens the health security of people who have pre-existing conditions. In Ohio alone, 1,919,000 non-elderly adults have a declinable preexisting condition.
Please don’t replace the ACA with this plan. It will be detrimental for patients and healthcare providers, as well as our national economy. There is no excuse for failing to provide universal healthcare in one of the richest nations on Earth.