A proposed health law sparked concerns about further Medicaid reductions, as some providers say the proposed American Health Care Act would jeopardize their ability to provide care.
Local and statewide health care groups joined their national counterparts late in slamming the U.S. House of Representatives, which voted 217-213 to narrowly pass the American Health Care Act as a replacement for the Affordable Care Act.
The American Diabetes Association states that they are deeply concerned with the AHCA.
The most alarming last minute changes to the bill will allow states to waive the requirement for essential health benefits and health status rating. Weakening these rules will give insurers the ability to charge people with pre-existing conditions - such as diabetes - higher prices. It will also allow insurers to deny people with diabetes coverage for the care and services they need to treat the disease.
Although states that waive these protections would be required to set up a risk sharing program, which could include a high-risk pool, historically high-risk pools have resulted in higher premiums plus long waiting lists and inadequate coverage.
Charlie Baker, Governor of Massachusetts, stated that it would drastically reduce federal funding to MassHealth, a program that covers 1.9 million mostly low-income people.
He added, “Massachusetts leads the nation in health care coverage and I am disappointed by today’s vote as this bill would significantly reduce critical funds for the Commonwealth’s health care system. As the U.S. Senate takes up this bill, we will continue to advocate for the Commonwealth’s priorities so that all residents have access to the health coverage they need. Maintaining flexibility through the Medicaid program is critical to the Commonwealth’s ability to provide coverage for the needy and I urge Congress to reject this bill in its current form.”
The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) anticipates that up to 24 million people would lose their coverage should the AHCA become law. This would leave vulnerable Americans stripped of their health insurance. According to the Washington Post, it is planning to release - during the week of May 22 - an assessment of how the health-care legislation that the House just passed, will impact federal spending but it is not known whether the analysis of the Republicans’ Affordable Health Care Act will include a forecast of how the bill would affect the number of Americans with health insurance.
