Wednesday night, Bloomberg reported that GOP house leaders have sequestered the latest iteration of their Affordable Care Act replacement ‘plan’ from the Alaska congressional delegation. The new Republican plan is under such tight lock and key, that according to reports, even Senator Rand Paul was denied entry to the reading room where the document was being held and guarded by Capitol Hill police.
The Alliance for Health Care Security says they believe that instead of leaving Americans in the dark, Republicans should commit to a fully transparent and public process; before the first vote is cast in committee Americans deserve to know how much the GOP plan will cost and have an opportunity to provide input at hearings.
“Alaskan’s have repeatedly voiced concern for the so called ‘fix’ of the health care ‘plan’—at roundtables, rallies, and in letters to their representatives—and they will not be silent until explicit details show precisely how they will keep Alaskan’s insured. This secrecy sends a clear message to the public: they are not proud of what they’ve put together,” said Mark Simon. “And from the little information we have gathered it is evident that their ‘plan’ will hurt Americans not help them. ”[xyz-ihs snippet=”Adsense-responsive”]It is clear why the GOP is hiding their ‘plan:’ it pales in comparison to the Affordable Care Act. Instead of sharing any details, Congress is rushing forward with a secret plan, leaving millions of Americans guessing whether or not they will have access to affordable health care, including those who rely on Medicaid and insurance subsidies.
Presently the ‘plan’ won’t answer these simple questions:
- Can you promise that everyone who has coverage today will still have coverage?
- Will you make coverage more affordable for people – lowering their premiums, deductibles and out-of-pocket costs – while not taking away any of their current benefits?
- Will everyone who currently gets a health insurance tax credit continue to receive the same amount or more so that they not only “have access to coverage” but can afford it?
- Will you keep the current protections for people with pre-existing conditions that are in the current law?
- Will you guarantee that a woman can’t be charged more than a man for her health insurance simply because she is a woman?
- Will insurance companies in all states still be required to cover check-ups for kids, mammograms and birth control without co-pays? Will you make sure that treatment for mental health and substance abuse disorders and prescription drugs will still be covered at the same level?
- Will you prevent insurance companies from charging people over 55 more than they are today?
- Will everyone that is covered today through Medicaid continue to have coverage without paying more?
- Will you require large companies and other big employers to continue providing health coverage for their employees?
- Will you cut taxes for pharmaceutical companies and the wealthiest?
“Quite simply, American lives are on the line, House Republicans should quit hiding in the shadows and put their constituents first. Any changes to the ACA should be done in an open and transparent process. After all, they are planning to take an axe to Medicaid funding, pull the rug out from under millions of Americans, and increase taxes and out-of-pocket health care costs for working people,” – Alliance For Healthcare Security.[xyz-ihs snippet=”Adsense-responsive”]
