Washington, DC — On May 4, 2017 the Republican-controlled House passed the American Health Care Act (AHCA), a disastrous piece of legislation that would have dismantled the Affordable Care Act, and ripped health care away from 20 million Americans. Luckily the GOP’s repeal effort was unsuccessful, and two years later, more than sixty of those Republican members who voted for it are no longer in office, and Democrats have taken control of the House. This week, in the days leading up to this two year anniversary of that infamous vote this Saturday, Protect Our Care will be highlighting how the GOP’s failed attempt to pass the ACHA has catalyzed their agenda of sabotage in the years since.
Since the now infamous “victory lap” photo in the Rose Garden after the House GOP vote for the disastrous repeal bill, which ultimately failed, they have continued to sabotage the law at every turn.
Source: Roll Call/Getty Images
Over the next few days Protect Our Care will hold events in states across the country and release fact sheets and digital content that will make clear the contrast between Republican’s sabotage and repeal agenda and Democrats’ lower cost, better care agenda. To kick off this week of activity around the May 4 anniversary, Protect Our Care executive director Brad Woodhouse released the following statement:
“Two years ago, Republican’s went to the White House to dance on the grave of the Affordable Care Act but as it turned out they were digging their own political graves in the process. While they patted each other on the back and swilled beer to celebrate the passage of a bill to strip protections for 130 million people with pre-existing conditions and rip health care away from 20 million Americans, the American people took note and elected a pro-health care Democratic Majority in the House by sending scores of Republicans packing. Even though the GOP bill crashed and burned, leading to a crushing defeat in the midterms, Republicans and President Trump have continued their all-out war on America’s health care in the courts, in Congress, and within the administration. To mark this infamous day in our history we will continue to hold Republicans accountable for their ongoing war on American health care.”
Background:
Fact Sheet: Two Year Anniversary of GOP’s Health Care Repeal
Two years ago, on May 4, 2017, the Republican House of Representatives passed the so-called “American Health Care Act,” or AHCA, a health repeal bill that would have cut coverage, increased costs, and eliminated protections for millions of Americans. The repeal plan allows insurers to charge people over 50 five times more for coverage – what AARP has called an ‘Age Tax’. And, the plan guts protections for people with pre-existing conditions, raising costs for a cancer patient by $150,000.
Last November, their votes on this bill lost Republicans the House in a landslide election for Democrats who ran on ending the the GOP war on health care and protecting people with pre-existing conditions.
Health Care Repeal Would Have Raised Health Care Costs, Especially For Older Americans
Raise Premiums By Double Digits. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found that a key part of the American Health Care Act, repealing the requirement that most people have health insurance and was enacted as part of the GOP tax bill, will premiums 10 percent next year.
Impose An Age Tax – Older Americans Pay Nearly $12,000 More. The American Health Care Act would have imposed what the AARP calls an “age tax” on older Americans by cutting the amount of assistance older people receive and by allowing insurers to charge people over 50 fives times more. Nationally, out-of-pocket costs for older people could have increased by as much as $11,917 by 2026.
Surcharge For People With Pre-Existing Conditions. The American Health Care Act would have allowed states to eliminate community rating, meaning insurers would be able to charge people with pre-existing conditions more. This surcharge could have been in the tens of thousands of dollars and even six figures: up to $4,270 for asthma, $17,060 for pregnancy, $26,180 for rheumatoid arthritis and $140,510 for metastatic cancer.
Health Care Repeal Would Have Caused Millions of Americans To Lose Coverage
23 Million Would Have Lost Coverage. By 2026, 23 million U.S. residents would have lost coverage under this bill.
14 Million With Medicaid Would Have Lost Coverage. Under the American Health Care Act, 14 million with Medicaid would have lost their coverage by 2026.
441,300 U.S. Veterans Would Have Lost Coverage. Under the American Health Care Act, 441,400 veterans would have lost their Medicaid coverage nationally.
Health Care Repeal Would Have Meant Weaker Protections For Americans
52 Million Americans Have A Pre-Existing Condition, And Were At Risk For Paying More. The American Health Care Act would have weakened key protections of the Affordable Care Act by allowing states to let insurers charge 52 million Americans with pre-existing conditions more, among other provisions. The bill would have made it more likely insurers would cherrypick young and healthier people, causing costs to skyrocket for older, sicker people.
Women’s Health Would Be In Jeopardy. The American Health Care Act would have blocked millions from accessing birth control, cancer screenings, and other basic health care at Planned Parenthood health centers, eliminated the guarantee of maternity coverage, and newborn care, and allowed insurers to discriminate against women.
Health Care Repeal Would Have Ended Medicaid As We Know It
Medicaid Would Have Been Slashed By $839 Billion. The American Health Care Act would have ended Medicaid as we know it, a 50 year old program that helps seniors, children, people with disabilities and other vulnerable populations get the care they need. It would have slashed Medicaid by $839 billion, ended the funding needed to expand Medicaid, and converted the program into a “per capita cap”, thus ending guaranteed coverage for everyone who has it. As a result, the Republican repeal bill put the health of 77 million, or one in five Americans, who count on Medicaid in grave danger. These cuts would have strained state budgets and undermined efforts to combat the opioid crisis.
Health Care Repeal Would Have Cut Health Care To Give Tax Breaks To The Rich
- CNN Money: Republican health care plan has a big tax break for execs’ pay [3/7/17]
- Buzzfeed: The Republican Health Care Plan Includes A Tax Break For Insurance CEOs [3/6/17]