More Than A Dozen Medical Groups Blast Obamacare Repeal Effort

Source: Talking Points Memo




By ALICE OLLSTEIN Published SEPTEMBER 18, 2017 12:17 PM

A coalition of sixteen medical groups—including the influential American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association and American Heart Association—wrote an open letter Monday opposing a new Senate effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act and convert Medicaid funding into a block grant controlled by states, warning the bill would “negatively impact patients’ access to adequate and affordable health coverage and care.”

“This bill would limit funding for the Medicaid program, roll back important essential
health benefit protections, and potentially open the door to annual and lifetime caps on coverage, endangering access to critical care for millions of Americans,” the groups wrote.

In the letter, the medical patient and provider groups urged Congress to abandon their efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which Republicans are rushing to do before the end of September in order to use the process known as reconciliation to pass a bill with only 50 votes.

Instead, the organizations called for Congress to complete their work on an Obamacare stabilization bill that aims to bring insurance premiums down by taking away President Donald Trump’s ability to suddenly cut off the subsidies that cover the care of low-income people with serious health care needs.

Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/obamacare-repeal-groups-oppose