“Nearly every Republican voted ‘no’ on this resolution, once again turning their backs on the millions of Americans whose access to life-saving care and benefits are in jeopardy,” says Brad Woodhouse
Washington DC — In response to House Democrats passing a stand-alone resolution that authorizes the House Counsel to intervene in the Texas, et. al. vs. United States, et. al. lawsuit to defend the Affordable Care Act and takes direct aim at the relentless repeal and sabotage campaign on health care by Republicans and President Trump, Brad Woodhouse, executive director of Protect Our Care issued the following statement:
“Under the leadership of Speaker Pelosi, the House took a crucial step to defend the Affordable Care Act and protect Americans with pre-existing conditions. By passing this resolution to intervene in the dangerous Texas lawsuit, Democrats stand in stark contrast with their repeal and sabotage Republican colleagues. Make no mistake, nearly every Republican voted ‘no’ on this resolution, once again turning their backs on the millions of Americans whose access to life-saving care and benefits are in jeopardy. Republicans are doubling down on their anti-health care agenda and ignoring the clear message sent by voters in November. If the Republicans had their way with this vote, the Affordable Care Act would be fully repealed and millions of people would lose their coverage. Clearly, Republicans haven’t learned the lesson of the 2018 elections and we’re here to remind them that elections have consequences.”
Background:
Thanks To The Republican Lawsuit, 17 Million People Could Lose Their Coverage
- According to the Urban Institute, 17.1 million people could lose coverage in the first year by repealing the Affordable Care Act, leading to a 50 percent increase in the uninsured rate.
If The Texas Ruling Is Upheld, Protections For 130 Million People With A Pre-Existing Condition Could Disappear
- According to a recent analysis by the Center for American Progress, roughly half of nonelderly Americans, or as many as 130 million people, have a pre-existing condition. This includes:
- 44 million people who have high blood pressure
- 45 million people who have behavioral health disorders
- 44 million people who have high cholesterol
- 34 million people who have asthma and chronic lung disease
- 34 million people who have osteoarthritis and other joint disorders
- 17 million children. One in four children, or roughly 17 million, have a pre-existing condition.
- 68 million women. More than half of women and girls nationally have a pre-existing condition.
- 30 million people aged 55-64. 84 percent of older adults, 30.5 million Americans between age 55 and 64, have a pre-existing condition.
If The Texas Ruling Is Upheld, Insurance Companies Would Have The Power To Deny Or Drop Coverage Because Of A Pre-Existing Condition
Before the Affordable Care Act, insurance companies routinely denied people coverage because of a pre-existing condition or canceled coverage when a person got sick. Now insurance companies have a license to do this again.
- A 2010 congressional report found that the top four health insurance companies denied coverage to one in seven consumers on the individual market over a three year period.
- A 2009 congressional report found that the of the largest insurance companies had retroactively canceled coverage for 20,000 people over the previous five year period.
More than 100 Million People With A Pre-Existing Condition Could Be Forced to Pay More. An analysis by Avalere finds that “102 million individuals, not enrolled in major public programs like Medicaid or Medicare, have a pre-existing medical condition and could therefore face higher premiums or significant out-of-pocket costs” thanks to the Republican lawsuit to repeal the Affordable Care Act.If The Texas Ruling Is Upheld, Insurance Companies Would Once Again Have The Power To Charge You More
- Premium Surcharges Can Once Again Be In The Six Figures. Thanks to the Republican lawsuit, insurance companies can charge people more because of a pre-existing condition. The House-passed repeal bill had a similar provision, and an analysis by the Center for American Progress found that insurers could charge up to $4,270 more for asthma, $17,060 more for pregnancy, $26,180 more for rheumatoid arthritis and $140,510 more for metastatic cancer.
- Women Can Be Charged More Than Men For The Same Coverage. Prior to the ACA, women, for example, were often charged premiums on the nongroup market of up to 50 percent higher than they charged men for the same coverage.
- People Over The Age of 50 Can Face A $4,000 “Age Tax.” Thanks to the Republican lawsuit, insurance companies can charge people over 50 more than younger people. The Affordable Care Act limited the amount older people could be charged to three times more than younger people. If insurers were to charge five times more, as was proposed in the Republican repeal bills, that would add an average “age tax” of $4,124 for a 60-year-old in the individual market, according to the AARP.
- Nine Million People In The Marketplaces Will Pay More For Coverage. Thanks to the Republican lawsuit, consumers no longer have access to tax credits that help them pay their marketplace premiums, meaning roughly nine million people who receive these tax credits to pay for coverage will have to pay more.
- Seniors Will Have To Pay More For Prescription Drugs. Thanks to the Republican lawsuit, seniors will have to pay more for prescription drugs because the Medicare “donut” hole got reopened. From 2010 to 2016, “More than 11.8 million Medicare beneficiaries have received discounts over $26.8 billion on prescription drugs – an average of $2,272 per beneficiary,” according to a January 2017 Centers on Medicare and Medicaid Services report.
If The Texas Ruling Is Upheld, Insurance Companies Will Have The Power To Limit The Care You Get, Even If You Have Insurance Through Your Employer
- Reinstate Lifetime and Annual Limits. Thanks to the Republican lawsuit, insurance companies can once again impose annual and lifetime limits on coverage.
- Insurance Companies Do Not Have to Provide the Coverage You Need. The Affordable Care Act made comprehensive coverage more available by requiring insurance companies to include “essential health benefits” in their plans, such as maternity care, hospitalization, substance abuse care and prescription drug coverage. Before the ACA, people had to pay extra for separate coverage for these benefits. For example, in 2013, 75 percent of non-group plans did not cover maternity care, 45 percent did not cover substance abuse disorder services, and 38 percent did not cover mental health services. Six percent did not even cover generic drugs.
If The Texas Ruling Is Upheld, Medicaid Expansion Will End
- Fifteen million people have coverage through the expanded Medicaid program.