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AGA: Cassidy-Graham bill could cut coverage for millions
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The American Gastroenterological Association announced its concern that the proposed Cassidy-Graham bill to repeal parts of the Affordable Care Act would roll back Medicaid expansion and result in dramatic changes to the way federal health care funds are distributed to states.
The Senate is expected to vote on the bill next week, and if passed, “millions of patients could lose health care coverage and basic protections for pre-existing conditions and lifetime expenditure caps,” according to a press release from the AGA.
Other physician groups have also strongly opposed the bill, including the American Medical Association and the American College of Physicians.
Sponsored by Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Lindsay Graham (R-SC), the bill would end Medicaid expansion funding by 2020 and repeal the individual and employer mandate, as well as the medical device tax. The legislation would also provide states with Medicaid block grants based on their lower income population, which would have a disproportionate negative impact on states that expanded Medicaid coverage, AGA said.
Congress must vote on the bill before the end of September, and while the Senate plans to use the reconciliation process requiring only a simple majority vote, it is still unclear if there is enough support among Senate Republicans for it to pass.
“AGA urges Congress to return to regular order and work in a bipartisan manner to stabilize the individual insurance market and make improvements to health care legislation to ensure that patients have access to and coverage of quality health care,” according to the press release.
In any health care replacement package, the association also “strongly urge[s]” Congress to ensure patient access to and coverage of specialty care and preventive screenings without cost-sharing; to prevent insurers from discriminating against patients based on sex or pre-existing conditions; ban annual and lifetime caps; and allow children to stay on their parents plans until age 26.
“AGA calls on Congress to enact legislation that contains these essential patient protections and other improvements to ensure affordability, accessibility and quality health care for all Americans,” the release said.
The association called on its members to contact their senator by calling the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121, to “urge the senator to oppose any repeal and replace legislation that results in lost coverage, lack of access to specialty care or loss of coverage of preventive services.” – by Adam Leitenberger
Reference:
AGA. “Cassidy-Graham Legislation Lacks Patient Protections.” Accessed September 21, 2017. http://www.gastro.org/news_items/cassidy-graham-legislation-lacks-patient-protections