Brian Davis – Page 11

A Profoundly Disappointing Vote

The American Nurses Association is strongly opposed to the American Health Care Act (AHCA) and is very disappointed with the passage of this legislation by the House of Representatives.

Representing the interests of more than 3.6 million registered nurses, the ANA has expressed serious concerns throughout the negotiation process about the negative impact the AHCA will have on the 24 million people who stand to lose insurance coverage if it becomes law, as well as the lack of transparency that has surrounded the bill.

“Over the past several weeks, nurses from across the country expressed their strong disapproval for this bill, which would have a great impact on the health of the nation,” said ANA President Pamela F. Cipriano, PhD, RN, FAAN. “Today, Congress not only ignored the voice of the nation’s most honest and ethical profession and largest group of health care professionals. It also ignored the almost 15 million people in the United States with pre-existing conditions who will now have no protection from insurer discrimination.”

As currently written, the AHCA would cut Medicaid funding by $880 billion over 10 years, dramatically increase premiums for senior citizens, restrict millions of women from access to health care, weaken the sustainability of Medicare, and repeal income-based subsidies that have made it possible for millions of families to buy health insurance.

In addition, states would have the option to waive essential health benefit protections that prevent insurance companies from charging Americans with pre-existing conditions significantly more for coverage. Even worse, insurers could decline coverage for substance abuse treatment, maternity care, and preventive services. Last minute attempts to stabilize the bill’s risk pools for the more than 15 million Americans with pre-existing conditions were wholly inadequate and will leave our nation’s sickest vulnerable.

As this legislation moves to the U.S. Senate, the ANA urges Senators to allow for thoughtful, public feedback in the face of reforms that would have such a far-reaching and personal impact across the nation.

“ANA asks the Senate to not deny peoples’ right to health care and quality of life by standing with the American people in opposing AHCA in its current form. ANA will continue to work with the Senate to help improve health care delivery, coverage, and affordability for all Americans,” Cipriano added.

To find out how your representative voted, click here.

The First 100 Days, AHCA Down But Not Out, Shutdown Averted

AHCA
As President Trump reaches his hundredth day in office, his goal of repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has stumbled once again, with Speaker Paul Ryan and House Republican leadership unable to find the necessary votes to pass the American Health Care Act (AHCA) and move debate to the Senate.

As we wrote yesterday, despite newfound support from the House Freedom Caucus, moderate House Republicans are still opposed to the AHCA, in part due to the inclusion of an amendment that would allow states to opt out of programs that provide Essential Health Benefits and maintain Community Rating Provisions. The ANA continues to oppose the AHCA due to serious concerns that the bill would violate key organizational principles and harm both nurses and patients alike.

Resolved to continue
House and Senate leadership were able to temporarily avert a government shutdown, passing a one-week spending measure on Friday that maintains current spending levels and gives lawmakers additional time to negotiate a longer-term package that will fund the government through September 30th. House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi had previously stated that her caucus would not vote for such an agreement if Speaker Ryan and the White House held a vote on the AHCA this week.

100 Days In
While the President has signed a number of executive orders and legislation in his first 100 days that repeal actions taken toward the end of President Obama’s second term, the White House has been consistently stymied by a Congress that seems unwilling to embrace its broader legislative agenda, despite Republican control of both chambers.

The President’s biggest victory is arguably the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch, who was approved by the Senate earlier this month to fill the seat that was vacated following the death of Justice Antonin Scalia. Despite a limited number of achievements, polling consistently shows that the President’s conservative supporters continue to approve of his job performance and are optimistic he’ll be able to fulfill his campaign promises.

This Recess, #ProtectOurCare

Town halls will be taking place over the next two weeks. — Photo: Steve Pope/Getty Images

Following their failure to hold a vote on the misguided American Health Care Act (AHCA), congressional Republicans now head into a two-week recess with more questions than answers. Despite continuing negotiations with the House Freedom Caucus, the basic dynamic hasn’t changed: for every vote Republicans pick up from the conservative wing of their House caucus, they lose votes from their moderate wing. And the reason for their continued failure hasn’t changed: the AHCA is a fundamentally flawed bill that would cause millions to lose health coverage by cutting Medicaid and taking away essential benefits.

Even worse, proposed concessions made by Vice President Mike Pence could undermine protections for people with pre-existing conditions, and lead to states allowing insurance companies to charge sick people more for coverage than healthier individuals, to name just two possible outcomes.

Republicans’ persistence and the AHCA’s shortcomings underline the importance of the next two weeks. As is customary for recess periods, Members of Congress from across the country will be holding town halls to hear directly from their constituents. Now more than ever, it’s imperative that lawmakers understand that a majority of voters are opposed to the AHCA and similar efforts to make Americans less healthy.

In partnership with Families USA, check out this comprehensive toolkit to help you tell lawmakers to #ProtectOurCare. From in-person meetings to attending town halls to speaking out on social media, there’s something for everyone who wants to get involved.

Are you planning to attend a town hall meeting in the next two weeks? If so, let us know in the comments below, and good luck!