Just a few days into the new year, the U.S. Senate has already taken its first steps towards repealing the Affordable Care Act striping away health coverage from 30 million Americans.
With a 51-48 Senate vote fell almost entirely along party lines, an early sign of the contentiousness surrounding Republican plans to undo President Obama’s signature health-care law.
Senate Republicans held together to defeat Democratic amendments aimed at defending popular portions of the Affordable Care Act, including expanded Medicaid and Medicare drug benefits and allowing kids to stay on their parents’ insurance until 26.
The House is planning to vote on the budget and we need Congress to hear from you!
Nurses are one of the few groups Congress will listen to. You’re part of America’s most trusted profession, and everybody knows that nurses stand with patients.
With a new Administration set to step into the White House, the moment of truth is here… We’ve sent the Trump transition team a detailed set of principles they should follow as they seek to dismantle and replace our existing healthcare system. But Congress is in such a rush to repeal without a thoughtful replacement that they haven’t stopped to consider the effect their actions will have on the people you see every day in your clinics, in your hospitals, in your classrooms – and in your communities.
Preventative care, prescriptions, coverage for pre-existing conditions, parents keeping their children on their insurance until age 26 – it’s all on the line. And millions of your patients are wondering what it will mean for them.
As a member of ANA, I support the removal of the ACA and it’s burdensome costs to our country. I understand the need for healthcare for Americans but the responsibility that every individual needs to make in regards to their health and well being can not be usurped by a general acceptance and entitlement that everything will be provided.
I support more effort in removing the patient satisfaction component to reimbursement for health care providers and institutions. Get the Federal government out of State affairs.
Many people depend on the benefits of the current Health Care Plan. If eleminating pre existing conditions. Many people will die. I have worked with Dialysis patients for many years. Kidney disease is not a disease in itself. There are many contributing conditions. How will those costs get covered? I admit there are problematic issues with the current plan. Please do not eliminate the parts of the plans that work Replace the areas that need to be replaced. Let us have a say in how we care for our patients.
I emailed both the senator and representative from Texas to explain that we are # 37 (Murray, Phil, Frenk, 2010) in healthcare delivery and the Affordable Care Act is also about prevention and how we deliver healthcare in this country. I hope they reconsider before they repeal the law that provides health care to millions of Americans.
Congress had to start somewhere and amendments can be done to perfect the law. The cost of health care was out of control, and the quality is not where it needed to be. We as a nation need to do the right thing and provide healthcare for all and encourage prevention to have a healthy America. Repealing the law will not do anything but cause confusion for providers and put patients at risk.
Those who think government should get out of healthcare, should know that state government provides the license for health care facilities to provide care and hospitals must follow the rules of participation to provide that care or risk losing the license. The majority of the hospitals also receive Medicare funds and there are rules of participation for that as well, so like it or not with or without the Affordable Care Act government is in healthcare.
Murray, C., Phil, D., Frenk, J. (2010). Ranking 37th — Measuring the performance of the U.S. health care system. New England Journal Medicine, 362, 98-99.
doi: 10.1056/NEJMp0910064
What an excellent letter. I completely believe the same as you. As a Mother/Baby Nurse for almost 30 years I have seen the changes in the needs of our patients. Thank you for such a well thought out letter. Did you receive an answer from your Representatives?