WASHINGTON — As they race to repeal large parts of the Affordable Care Act, President-elect Donald Trump and congressional Republicans are leaving behind nearly everyone but their base voters and a handful of conservative activists.
Not a single major organization representing patients, physicians, hospitals or others who work in the nation’s health care system backs the GOP’s strategy.
New polls also show far more Americans would like to expand or keep the health care law, rather than repeal it.
Even many conservative health policy experts caution that the emerging Republican plan, which calls for a vote in January to roll back insurance coverage followed by a lengthy period to develop a replacement, could be disastrous.
Intensifying the political risks for Republicans, a growing number of patient groups are warning that millions of Americans are in danger of losing vital health protections and that Republicans need to agree on a replacement plan before they uproot the current system.
“When people get cancer, they have to know that they are going to have insurance,” said Chris Hansen, president of the American Cancer Society’s advocacy arm. “There have been and are problems with the ACA, but we have to make sure that what is done and the way it is done is not going to leave people who have cancer or who may get cancer … in the lurch.”
The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network last week sent a letter to congressional leaders urging them not to repeal large parts of the health care law without first developing replacement legislation that guarantees patients the same protections.
GOP leaders, who have repeatedly promised their core voters that they would repeal the law, oppose any delay in a vote, despite the risk that Republicans may be held responsible for any ensuing turmoil.
They are pushing to pass a bill early next year that would repeal many key provisions of the law. That would include the money that has allowed states to expand their Medicaid safety nets and the billions of dollars in federal funds that have provided subsidies to low- and middle-income Americans to help with the cost of insurance premiums. More than 20 million Americans who previously lacked insurance have gained coverage under the law.
“We have to bring relief to Obamacare as quickly as possible so that it stops doing damage, not just to the health care system but to the families of America who need affordable health insurance,” House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., told reporters at the Capitol last week.
To minimize disruptions, senior Republicans want to delay when the cuts would take effect. The idea is to buy time to allow the party to develop an alternative — something that GOP lawmakers have been unable to agree on in the six years since the law passed.
Click here to read more about the key Republicans moving forward to repeal Obamacare with very little support from the various heath support groups.
Good article. I agree that it’s important to get support before moving forward, but often, that task in and of itself become the new “issue” dwarfing the main one. Roundabout conversations go nowhere and only succeed in one thing: stalling the current need to stop the bleeding wound of our current state of health care.
It’s so important that law makers don’t repeal large parts of health care law before newer and better legislation can be put into place so patients are protected. Although leaders don’t want a delay, they must be careful not to incite turmoil among their core voters.
Agreed but if they perceive the voters are willing to give up these benefits, they will move forward. After all they keep promising to repeal it — and voters keep returning them to Washington.