Repeal would cause uncertainty for residents
The latest plan by U.S. Senate Republicans to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act has stopped dead in its tracks as four Republicans have turned down the current proposal.
Senators Jerry Moran of Kansas and Mike Lee of Utah noted on Monday they both opposed the bill released last week, according to NBC News. Lee said, “This bill does not go far enough to lower premiums for middle class families.”
Previously, Senators Susan Collins of Maine and Rand Paul of Kentucky had said no. The ACA also known as Obamacare was signed by former President Obama in 2010.
In Imperial County, officials have voiced anxiety. Offering coverage to over 70 million persons, Medicaid, is the country’s largest program to provide healthcare to low-income Americans, remarked Rebecca Terrazas-Baxter, County of Imperial intergovernmental relations director.
“If the ACA is not replaced with a similar, comprehensive program, nearly 23,000 Imperial County residents will lose expanded Medi-Cal coverage,” she said.
She also explained, since July 2016, 68,000 in the county were enrolled in Medi-Cal. And since 2015 another 6,842 were enrolled through Covered California, with 97 percent receiving premium subsidies.
If ACA is repealed, 5 million Californians will lose health insurance, including 3.7 million covered under Medi-Cal.
In addition, California will see a $16 billion reduction in Medi-Cal funding if repeal is approved. The state receives $57.8 billion in federal funding for the $90 billion Medi-Cal program, noted Terrazas-Baxter. Health care coverage makes a significant difference in the lives of families who have access to preventative care noted Larry Lewis, chief executive officer of Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District. “A repeal, disruption or delay would create massive uncertainty,” said Lewis. “PMHD is closely monitoring the situation and we hope we all find an equitable solution in the near future.”
Helen Palomino, chief executive officer of Cancer Resource Center of the Desert, that assists the uninsured and underinsured remarked CRCD has enormous concern over Trump Administration changes.
“I have seen how the ACA with Medi-Cal expansion has saved people’s lives because it raised the income level for eligibility,” said Palomino. “At this point, all we can do is see what the actual changes are that happen.”
She hoped the health plan they come up with does not change in such severity that it places the community-at-large at risk. “I appreciated the Republicans who rejected the current proposal and respect their political perspective,” said Palomino. “But the plan could be rolled out in a clearer, more planned and equitable way.”
In order to repeal and replace ACA, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell needs support from 50 of 52 GOP senators, with Vice President Mike Pence providing a tie-breaking vote. Now, all 48 Democrats oppose. But there is still hesitancy to support the proposal by other Republicans.
Sen. Shelly Moore Capito of West Virginia is opposed. “I cannot vote to repeal Obamacare without a replacement plan that addresses the needs of West Virginians,” she said. Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska noted Republicans have to admit that some things in the ACA, they liked. “The Democrats have to admit that some of the things they voted for in the ACA are broken and need to be fixed,” she added.
Molina Healthcare, Inc., which began in California in 1980 noted in an email they have serious concerns about a rollback of Medicaid expansion. It would have serious impact on low-income families, elderly and people with disabilities. More than half of adults covered by Medicaid are employed but not offered insurance by employers it noted.
Also, Molina is concerned about the repeal’s elimination of the individual mandate with no replacement provision to prompt people to purchase coverage. This will then encourage healthy people to drop coverage thereby increasing the pool of the infirm and leading to higher costs.
Trump said Tuesday he did not think the Republican plan was dead, but it may not be as quick as they hoped yet it was going to happen. McConnell admitted the repeal and replace proposal was no longer possible. He then offered an amendment to a 2015 bill that would have rolled back key parts of Obamacare after a twoyear waiting period. That legislation was approved by Congress at the time but vetoed by then President Obama. But that plan faces steep odds as many moderate Republicans already opposed repeal without an immediate replacement.