Dear Catherine,
The American Health Care Act (AHCA) was originally introduced on March 6 in an effort to repeal and replace the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA or "Obamacare"). However, it failed to receive a vote due to a lack of support for passage. This week, the AHCA is being brought back to the House for a vote with a new amendment that House Republicans hope will sway enough Representatives to pass the bill. This new MacArthur amendment is another attempt to gut the Affordable Care Act and potentially leave more Americans without adequate health insurance coverage and access to care.
In addition to the problematic provisions of the original AHCA such as repealing the Medicaid expansion, replacing subsidies with tax credits, and eliminating the mandate for insurance coverage, the new MacArthur amendment would further harm patients. Under this amendment, states would be able to apply for waivers allowing them to opt out of the ACA's federal regulations on essential health benefits (which provide a basic set of minimum health care requirements) and community rating requirements (which prevent insurers from varying premiums based on health status, age, gender, and other characteristics). This amendment is extremely problematic for the cancer community.
CSC remains concerned about the burden that the AHCA would place on individuals living with cancer and people who have historically been underserved by the health care system.
The priorities of the Cancer Support Community (CSC) are access, coverage, affordability, and equity for patients living with chronic illnesses such as cancer. For more information, please visit CSC's Health Care Principles for Individuals Impacted by Cancer. For an in-depth analysis of the ACHA, the Kaiser Family Foundation has an excellent analysis of both the ACA and ACHA with the changes Congress is proposing to amend.
The newest version of the AHCA will negatively affect millions of Americans, particularly those impacted by cancer, if this legislation is passed. We encourage you to contact your Representatives today telling them that the AHCA is not a good replacement for the ACA. Simply call the US Capitol Switchboard at (202)-224-3121, and an operator will help to connect you with your Representatives' office. Alternatively, you can write a letter with the link below using our grassroots advocate portal.
We look forward to keeping you posted on health care reform and any policy issues that have the potential to impact cancer patients and their families.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Franklin
Senior Director, Policy & Advocacy
Cancer Support Community
No comments:
Post a Comment