Nurses on healthcare’s front lines are the latest to join the parade of medical care providers opposing the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives’ American Health Care Act, also known as Trumpcare.
The American Nurses Association joined a growing number of provider groups including the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association and the American Academy of Family Physicians attacking the House bill for its lack of coverage, financial details and transparency.
House Speaker Paul Ryan speaks at the Republican National Committee Headquarters in Washington, March 8, 2017. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
The ANA, which represents 3.6 million registered nurses, says Donald Trump, who supports the American Health Care Act, is breaking a promise to maintain coverage for those who have gained health benefits under the Affordable Care Act, which was signed into law in 2010 by President Barack Obama. Trump has also said there would be a transition period for those who purchased coverage on public exchanges to something “better.”
“The President committed to repeal the ACA and replace it with something better. The AHCA fails to fulfill that promise,” American Nurses Association (ANA) President Pamela Cipriano said Wednesday. She listed several concerns about the House legislation in a letter to leaders of House committees that oversee health legislation.
In particular, ANA is concerned the House legislation would eliminate the Prevention and Public Health Fund , which the nurses said has “effectively helped reduce chronic disease rates, and result in millions of Americans losing critical coverage for mental health and substance-use disorders.”
The ANA also said it was upset the House committees aren’t allowing for input and feedback from healthcare providers and other groups, saying the GOP effort lacks testimony from “nonpartisan experts like the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC), the Medicare Payment Advisory Committee (MedPAC) or the (GAO).”
To be sure, the lack of transparency is an escalating problem for the GOP House legislation. Analysts have said it would increase the deficit and cause millions to lose coverage, particularly if the ACA’s Medicaid expansion is rolled back.
But Ryan said this week replacing the ACA with the Republican House leadership’s legislation is an “act of mercy.” Insurers including , and have been unable to successfully manage the costs of sick patients, triggering them to scale back their offerings on the ACA’s public exchanges.
Article source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/brucejapsen/2017/03/09/nurses-blast-trumpcare-as-danger-to-public-health/