Healthcare weighs in on Senate vote to debate healthcare

The Senate voted Tuesday to proceed to debate a bill to repeal major portions of the ACA. The vote was 50-50, with Vice President Mike Pence casting the tiebreaking vote.

Here are seven reactions from the healthcare industry, provided via emailed statements.

Association of American Medical Colleges President and CEO Darrell Kirch, MD, expressed disappointment with the vote.

"We urge Senators to vote 'no' on reform legislation presented thus far, and to only pass a bill that would at least maintain current coverage levels. 

"Reform proposals currently under consideration would leave tens of millions of Americans without comprehensive, affordable health coverage — and potentially weaken insurance for millions of others. These are our patients, many of whom have pre-existing conditions or are currently on Medicaid. We know that when they do not have stable health coverage, they delay care, making manageable conditions more complicated and costly to treat.

"As Congress has discussed repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, the nation's medical schools and teaching hospitals have held steadfast that any replacement bill should at least maintain current levels of health coverage, not weaken Medicaid, and be the result of a deliberate and transparent process. We encourage the Senate to develop a legislative proposal that adheres to these important principles.

"We understand that there are aspects of the current system that can be improved, and the nation's medical schools and teaching hospitals stand ready to work with Congress and other stakeholders to shape a healthcare reform solution that improves the health of all."

America's Essential Hospitals President and CEO Bruce Siegel, MD, said his organization remains concerned about millions of Americans potentially losing healthcare.

"The Senate agreed today to open debate on alternatives to the Affordable Care Act, but all their plans to date would have the same terrible result: at least 22 million more uninsured people, devastating cuts to Medicaid and higher costs for patients and taxpayers.

"The Senate's best attempts to soften this blow have barely moved the needle on coverage losses, and no option yet would ease the massive Medicaid cuts in the original House and Senate plans. Those cuts would destroy access to care in communities across the country, put public health at risk and jeopardize the health and financial security of millions of working people and families.

"We strongly oppose all plans so far to replace the Affordable Care Act and have no confidence lawmakers can overcome the flaws in these proposals. We urge senators to halt further consideration of repeal legislation and work in a bipartisan way with hospitals and other stakeholders on reform."

American Hospital Association President and CEO Rick Pollack said his organization is now "more determined than ever to help advance solutions aimed at protecting coverage."

"As the Senate prepares to undergo its amendment process, it is our hope that the critical task of repairing our health care system can be achieved on a bipartisan basis. Put simply: Our challenges are too great and our opportunities too promising to let political partisanship dictate the path forward for America's patients. Those of us on the front lines of healthcare know all too well the consequences repealing the ACA would have on patients.

"Ultimately, however, any legislative efforts that entail devastating cuts to the Medicaid program or coverage losses will be opposed with the same vigor that was responsible for the Senate's inability to debate the AHCA until now. Amid all of the uncertainty surrounding the healthcare reform debate, this fact remains unmistakably clear: We will always fight tirelessly for the patients and communities we serve."

The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons penned a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., House Majority Leader Paul Ryan, R-Wis., and President Donald Trump.

"The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, which represents thousands of physicians and millions of their patients nationwide, agrees that Congress should take a vote on simply repealing ObamaCare. Republicans should be forced to go on the record to show how they keep — or renege on — their campaign promises.

"Meanwhile, both Democrats and Republicans should be working on a series of 'restore' bills to debate, one issue at a time, immediately after repeal. Members would have a chance to advocate for any parts of ObamaCare that they favor. However, the actual effects of the provisions should be named, instead of the purported good intentions. It is time to look at the nuts and bolts, not CBO [Congressional Budget Office] guesstimates of enrollee counts."

Massachusetts Health & Hospital Association President and CEO Lynn Nicholas said MHA and member organizations "are extremely distressed" after Tuesday's Senate vote "to advance GOP healthcare amendments that contain shockingly few details other than an ill-considered effort to tear down the advances of the Affordable Care Act and leave millions of Americans without health insurance."

"We thank both Massachusetts senators for opposing the repeal efforts. We are fortunate in Massachusetts to have our entire congressional delegation working to defeat this short-sighted repeal effort, and a governor working in concert with them to minimize the harm posed to our state. We can only hope that during the required debate ahead, cooler and more compassionate heads like theirs prevail and the misguided effort to dismantle the ACA will be defeated. There is a lot at stake. Despite being a national leader in healthcare, the commonwealth and its people have much to lose."

The Coalition to Stop Opioid Overdose, which includes various healthcare groups, also expressed disappointment with the Senate vote to debate plans "that will result in reductions in coverage, particularly for individuals with substance use disorders and mental illness."

"In the face of the opioid overdose and suicide epidemics, equitable access to a full continuum of mental health and substance use disorder treatment services must be an essential component of healthcare coverage.

"These decisions will affect millions of Americans suffering from substance use disorders and mental illness who may lose their health care coverage entirely or see reductions in benefits that impede access to needed treatment. 465 organizations sent a letter to Congress outlining why they couldn't support any of the previous versions of the bill. The Coalition urges Senators to vote 'no' on any amendments or final bill that would result in any American losing the access to life-saving substance use disorder and mental health treatment that they have today."

Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania President and CEO Andy Carter said policy under consideration in the Senate "will lead to the loss of coverage for thousands of Pennsylvanians — if not hundreds of thousands — and could also remove key consumer protections and strip vital funds from the Medicaid program."

"This is simply unacceptable. We urge senators to remember that this is more than just a procedural vote: The lives of real people will be impacted.

"The Affordable Care Act is not perfect, but we cannot deny that it helped more than 1.1 million Pennsylvanians gain access to healthcare coverage and improve the health of citizens across the commonwealth. We cannot threaten these coverage gains and put families at risk of being one health care crisis away from bankruptcy.

"We urge the Senate to turn to a repair strategy that stabilizes the individual market. It is time for lawmakers to start fresh and work in a bipartisan fashion to fix the Affordable Care Act's flaws and work to strengthen access to affordable, reliable healthcare coverage for the families who depend on it."

 

 

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