Meehan, Costello slam latest GOP plan to replace Obamacare
The latest Republican attempt to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act won’t have the support of Rep. Patrick Meehan, R-7th Dist., or Rep. Ryan Costello, R-6th Dist.
Meehan said Thursday he’ll vote against the measure, while maintaining he wants to see an alternative to the ACA that will be less costly and more accessible to his constituents.
The proposal “does not adequately address the concerns I had with the bill as it stood then and I will oppose the legislation should it come to the House floor,” Meehan said.
As Republicans have moved to replace Obamacare, U.S. Rep. Tom MacArthur, R-3rd Dist. of New Jersey, known as a moderate, struck a deal with the far-right Freedom Caucus Chairman U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows, R-11th Dist. of North Carolina, on a compromise that could bring the stalled GOP health care bill to a vote in the House. An earlier version was yanked from the House calendar when it became clear it didn’t have enough GOP votes for approval. Meehan had voted for that bill in committee but later said he would have voted against it if it had come to the floor of the House. Major provisions in the new deal would allow states to waive the list of covered services — as well as the ban on pre-existing conditions.
The Freedom Caucus has endorsed the proposal, while some Republican moderates in the House, such as Meehan, voiced concerns. President Donald Trump, who made Obamacare repeal a top campaign promise, is pushing for a vote before Saturday — his 100th day in the White House.
Even if it passes the House, its future in the Senate is far from assured.
“It threatens to send premiums skyrocketing for people with pre-existing conditions,” Meehan said. “It will make coverage more expensive for older Americans as they near retirement. And it threatens essential health care benefits like doctor’s office visits, opioid addiction treatment and emergency room care.”
Costello expressed similar sentiments.
“Protections for those with pre-existing conditions without contingency and affordable access to coverage for every American remain my priorities for advancing health care reform, and this bill does not satisfy those benchmarks for me,” Costello said. “I do believe substantial reforms need to be made to our health care system. I will review any future modifications or legislation with these principles in mind, but I remain a no vote on this bill in its current form.”
Meehan likewise said he would continue to strive towards crafting a viable alternative.
“I’m going to keep working to repeal and replace Obamacare with real reforms that make care more affordable and more accessible to Pennsylvania families,” he said.
Democrats criticized the latest GOP proposal.
“It is abundantly clear that the Republican Party has no idea how to ensure that the people of this country have affordable health care,” said Brandon Cwalina, press secretary for the Pennsylvania Democratic Party. “Pennsylvania’s Republican representatives have a choice: Will they continue their hypocrisy and vote for this disastrous bill that puts Pennsylvanians’ health care at risk but keeps their own health care benefits intact? Or will they stand up and protect their constituents by rejecting this bill?”
Concerns were also expressed from stakeholder groups, who urged legislators to oppose the deal.
“The amendment does not offer a clear long-term framework for stabilizing and strengthening the individual health insurance market to ensure that lowand moderate-income patients are able to secure affordable and adequate coverage, nor does it ensure that Medicaid and other critical safety net programs are maintained and adequately funded,” the American Medical Association said in a statement.
The March of Dimes was also voiced opposition.
“The MacArthur amendment will offer states and health plans numerous opportunities to charge people with pre-existing conditions higher rates, design plans that explicitly exclude the services they are most likely to need and erect barriers to care,” it stated. “For pregnant women, this likely means fewer plans that cover maternity and newborn care and much higher rates for those that do ... Women and children need quality, affordable insurance coverage to be born healthy and lead healthy, productive lives.”