Galindez writes: "This legislation can be stopped in the United States Senate. We only need to flip a couple of senators. Here are some talking points that you can use with your friends and family."
Demonstrators hold signs in support of the Affordable Care Act in Philadelphia on Jan. 25, 2017. (photo: Tom Mihalek/Reuters)
13 March 17
UPDATE: The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office released its cost estimate today. The study concludes that 24 million people would lose their health care over the next decade.
or the first time that I know of, I agree with Senator Tom Cotton. Why the rush? The Republicans are on pace to repeal and replace Obamacare before the Congressional Budget Office can put a price tag on their plan. I wonder if they know the numbers don’t add up and if that’s the reason for their urgency.
This legislation can be stopped in the United States Senate. We only need to flip a couple of senators. Here are some talking points that you can use with your friends and family. You should also use them to contact your senators, especially the Republican senators. I plan to go to a Town Hall with Senator Joni Ernst on Friday. It will be a long shot flipping her or Senator Grassley in my state, but I will try. Lives depend on it.
Premiums and co-pays will rise
The most important question to ask is what in this bill lowers costs for the consumer. Republicans will argue that they are allowing insurance companies to create cheaper plans for young people. My response to that is maybe. It is true that they can charge young people five times less, but will the insurance companies see it that way? They might just look at it the other way. They can charge older people five times more — up to 67% more. On top of that, when you get health insurance after not having insurance for a period, they can charge a 30% premium.
Remember, with no mandate, the pool shrinks. There is nothing in this bill that controls costs to consumers. In fact, it takes away some parts of the Affordable Care Act that were designed to lower costs. The GOP plan takes away the mandate, so they have to make up for the lost revenue to insurance companies. They do that by allowing them to charge more.
Wealthy people are the big winners
The biggest winners are the wealthy, of course. The GOP replacement plan would eliminate taxes, giving a windfall to the one percent. Let’s face it, opposition to Obamacare comes from the rich. Poor people who oppose Obamacare are opposing their best interests. Even young people who would have been paying more one day under Obamacare would benefit, because everyone grows old and gets sick.
Older, sicker people would pay more
The GOP plan eliminates Obamacare protections for older, less healthy people. Under Obamacare, insurance companies can only charge their elderly patients three times more than they charge younger, healthy patients. That cap would be raised to five times more, up to 67%. The hope is that more young people will buy in when the price tag goes down. The reality is that young people are still going to feel they are healthy and don’t need insurance.
They say they will still cover people with pre-existing conditions. Technically, it is true that insurance companies will not be able to deny coverage to patients with pre-existing conditions. They will instead price them out of the market. We will return to the days when people went without healthcare because they couldn’t afford a plan. That was me for nearly a decade, during which time my lack of coverage allowed my diabetes to damage my kidneys.
Blue state residents will pay more
Under Obamacare, if you live in a place where health coverage costs more, you get a higher credit or subsidy than you would in a less expensive market. The GOP eliminates that, so if you live in California you will get the same credit that someone in Montana gets, even though the cost of a plan in Montana is lower than it is in California.
The biggest losers are Medicaid recipients
Nothing changes until 2019. Why would it? The federal government is footing the bill until 2020. Beginning in 2020, the Republican plan will reduce the federal contribution, shifting control of Medicaid to the states. If healthcare costs drop, states might be able to keep current coverage levels. More likely, states will be forced to reduce the coverage they are currently providing to Medicaid recipients as the federal contribution drops. In other words, the Republicans will starve Medicaid.
Hospitals will also lose
It’s simple: with no mandate, fewer people will have insurance when they arrive at the emergency room. Under Obamacare, the levels of unpaid treatment provided by our nation’s hospitals dropped significantly. We will be returning to the day when people waited to get treatment until it became an emergency, whereas if they had healthcare they would have received treatment sooner, and the illness would have been less severe.
Use these talking points when debating the issue with your friends, family, and elected officials. Call your senators and members of Congress, write them letters, and sign petitions. Lives are on the line. Do everything you can stop this disastrous legislation.
Scott Galindez attended Syracuse University, where he first became politically active. The writings of El Salvador's slain archbishop Oscar Romero and the on-campus South Africa divestment movement converted him from a Reagan supporter to an activist for Peace and Justice. Over the years he has been influenced by the likes of Philip Berrigan, William Thomas, Mitch Snyder, Don White, Lisa Fithian, and Paul Wellstone. Scott met Marc Ash while organizing counterinaugural events after George W. Bush's first stolen election. Scott moved to Des Moines in 2015 to cover the Iowa Caucus.
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