In another blow to the GOP’s healthcare reform bill, this Tuesday the American Hospital Association has announced its opposition to the plan.
According to The Hill, the AHA is the first health-related group to voice opposition to the American Health Care Act, which was unveiled by Republicans this Monday.
“We ask Congress to protect our patients, and find ways to maintain coverage for as many Americans as possible,” AHA president and CEO Richard Pollack wrote in a letter to House Republicans. “We look forward to continuing to work with the Congress and the Administration on [Affordable Care Act] reform, but we cannot support The American Health Care Act in its current form.”
American Hospital Association letter to House Republicans:
"We cannot support the American Health Care Act in its current form." pic.twitter.com/HKFRy9hh4q— Adam Cancryn (@adamcancryn) March 7, 2017
The statement comes on the heels of many conservative lawmakers also voicing opposition to the bill as it currently stands.
From The Hill:
The Trump administration and House Republican leaders were on defense Tuesday, the first full day of pitching their plans for health reform.
While opponents have pounced on different parts of the proposal, a sticking point has been a provision that would strike funding for states to expand Medicaid beyond 2019.
…Hospitals are further concerned with elements of the bill that give relief to other industries — largely through eliminating taxes imposed by ObamaCare — but offer no help for them.
“If coverage is not maintained at the current level, those resources need to be returned to hospitals and health systems in order to provide services to what will likely be an increased number of uninsured Americans,” Pollack said according to The Hill.
“The expanded use of waivers with appropriate safeguards can be very effective in allowing state flexibility to foster creative approaches and can improve the program more effectively than through imposing per-capita caps,” Pollack said.
Read The Hill’s full report here.
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