This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
ACP: Fight to stop AHCA not over
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
With the postponement of the House of Representatives vote on the American Health Care Act, the ACP urged Congress to reject the bill and start over in order to develop a meaningful legislation that improves the current law, rather than eliminate coverage and benefits for millions of Americans.
“While we are encouraged that the [American Health Care Act (AHCA)] vote was postponed because of lack of support, ACP is also very much aware that the bill could still be brought back for a vote, potentially with changes to gain votes that would make it even more detrimental to patient care by further eroding coverage and consumer protections,” Nitin S. Damle, MD, MS, MACP, president of ACP, said in a statement. “For this reason, ACP will continue to use every available resource to urge Congress to bury the AHCA, once and for all.”
Congress should use the postponed vote as an opportunity to “go back to the drawing board,” Damle said, and collaborate with ACP and other patient advocacy groups to bring forward a law with real solutions for the nation’s health care system.
The new legislation should expand coverage, lower deductibles, make premiums more affordable, preserve and build upon the current requirements that insurers and Medicaid cover vital benefits and uphold the federal commitment to Medicaid and its expansion while permitting state innovation, according to ACP. Additionally, the bill should reduce the administrative burden on both doctors and patients, as well as support PCPs in providing cost-effective, high-quality and accessible care to all patients.
“Coming back with a warmed over, somewhat-revised version of the fatally flawed policies in the AHCA must not be an option,” Damle said.
The ACP has previously issued statements, saying the AHCA is “unacceptable” and its new amendments are “even less acceptable.” – by Alaina Tedesco
Disclosure: Healio Internal Medicine was unable to determine relevant financial disclosures at the time of publication.