The U. S. Senate will make one more push this week to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
Ohio Academy of Family Physicians members are asked to contact U.S. Senator Rob Portman to express concern that, under this latest bill, millions will lose health care coverage due to decreased funding in Medicaid and a lack of stability in the individual/small group market.
- 202.224.3353 (Washington, DC, Office)
- 513.684.3265 (Cincinnati Office)
- 216.522.7095 (Cleveland Office)
- 614.469.6774 (Columbus Office)
- 419.259.3895 (Toledo Office)
- @robportman and @portmanpress (Twitter)
This latest version of “repeal and replace” would allow states to forgo the insurance reforms and consumer protections under current law, including pre-existing conditions, prohibition on annual and lifetime caps, etc. The legislation allows states to continue prohibitions on certain medical services such as reproductive health. Medicaid would no longer be a permanent or a protected entitlement. Starting in 2026, funding would need Congressional approval to continue. In short, the money could disappear in the future, forcing millions more to lose their health care coverage.
The U.S. Senate is trying to pass this latest “repeal and replace” prior to Saturday, September 30, even though the legislation has not received any hearings and has not been evaluated or scored by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). Based on the CBO’s analysis of other, similar proposals, the American Academy of Family Physicians estimates that coverage losses will be in the tens of millions.
Urge a bipartisan, thoughtful approach to fixing the problems with the ACA. This is not that fix.