After making 33 attempts to repeal or gut the Affordable Care Act, today’s latest House vote was pretty anti-climactic. After all, this vote was all about politics and re-election. However, the difference this time may be that Americans are tired of all the wasted time politicking and showboating. They also aren’t interested in losing the benefits ACA has already provided:
“We are in this fight to keep Medicare benefits from being stripped away from millions of seniors by Members of Congress who vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act. The ACA will save lives, it will provide coverage to millions who lack insurance and it already provides improved benefits for less cost to seniors in Medicare. America’s health and economic security should take priority over election-year politics; however, this vote proves once again, politics trumps policy in the House. The Affordable Care Act is law, it’s working, and it’s long past time for Congress to start making economic growth a priority.” Max Richtman, President/CEO
While political rhetoric dominated much of today’s House repeal debate, the facts about the benefits provided to seniors in Medicare — which would be lost if health care reform was repealed — were largely ignored. Here are just a few of the benefits that would be lost if the Affordable Care Act was repealed:
· The typical senior would lose $4,200 over the next decade in prescription drug savings provided in the ACA
· The Part D coverage gap known as the ‘donut hole’ would return
· Annual wellness visits for beneficiaries would no longer be covered by Medicare
· Seniors will now pay more for preventive services. Medicare would no longer fully cover screenings like mammograms, pap smears, bone mass measurements, depression screening, diabetes screening, HIV screening and obesity screenings
· Almost 3.3 million uninsured Americans ages 50-64 who would have been insured under Medicaid will remain uninsured
· The Medicare Trust Fund’s solvency would be shortened by 8 years
A full analysis of the Medicare and Medicaid improvements that were preserved as a result of the recent Supreme Court ruling to uphold the Affordable Care Act can be found on the National Committee’s website.