The Republicans are hell bent on repealing the new health care act, or what they call the “Job-Killing Health Care Act”, and plan to vote in the House next Wednesday on such a measure. While the bill’s repeal is expected to pass in the House, given the GOP majority, it is unlikely to pass the Democratic-controlled Senate. In any event, President Obama has said he will veto any such repeal, if such a bill should reach his desk.
No evidence has been presented by the Republicans to support the falsehood that the new health care act, formally known as the Affordable Care Act, has reduced jobs. In fact, thinkprogress.com reports, since President Obama signed health reform into law on March 23, 2010, the economy has created approximately a total of 1.1 million new jobs in the private sector, one-fifth–over 200,000–have been in the health care industry.
So, what will a repeal of the new health care act mean for Floridians?
According to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, the repeal will bring about the following losses to consumers:
- 86,300 young adults would lose their insurance coverage through their parents’ health plans, sometimes just after they finish school and as they are looking for a job. Families across Florida would lose the peace of mind the Affordable Care Act provides by making sure that young adults can stay on their parents plan to age 26 if they do not have coverage of their own.
- More than 8.7 million residents of Florida with private insurance coverage would suddenly find themselves vulnerable again to having lifetime limits placed on how much insurance companies will spend on their health care.
- Insurance companies would once again be allowed cut off someone’s coverage unexpectedly when they are in an accident or become sick because of a simple mistake on an application. This would leave nearly 1.1 million people in Florida at risk of losing their insurance at the moment they need it most, as one of the worst abuses of the insurance industry would become legal again.
- More than 8.7 million residents of Florida would not know if they are receiving value for their health insurance premium dollars, as insurers in state would no longer be required to spend at least 80 to 85 percent of premium dollars on health care rather than CEO salaries, bonuses, and corporate profits.
- Nearly 3.2 million seniors in Florida who have Medicare coverage would be forced to pay a co-pay to receive important preventive services, like mammograms and colonoscopies.
- Medicare would no longer pay for an annual check-up visit, so nearly 3.2 million seniors in Florida who have Medicare coverage would have to pay extra if they want to stay healthy by getting check-ups regularly.
- 182,672 on Medicare would see significantly higher prescription drug costs–In Florida, 182,672 Medicare beneficiaries received a one-time, tax-free $250 rebate to help pay for prescription drugs in the “donut hole” coverage gap in 2010. Medicare beneficiaries who fall into the “donut hole” in 2011 will be eligible for 50 percent discounts on covered brand name prescription drugs. Without the law, the burden of high prescription drug costs would hurt millions of Medicare beneficiaries across the country.
- New insurance plans would no longer be required to cover recommended preventive services, like mammograms and flu shots, without cost sharing, nor would they have to guarantee enrollees the right to choose any available primary care provider in the network or see an OB-GYN without a referral.
The non-partisian Congressional Budget Office (CBO) stated yesterday the repeal of the health care bill will increase the deficit by $230 billion over the next ten years. Nonetheless, the Republicans have rejected these figures indicating the CBO does not have all the information.
While not perfect, Americans, including Floridians should understand the implications, if the new health care law is repealed.
Besides, because the Affordable Care Act addresses inequities by expanding coverage and improving access to primary care for communities of color, any repeal will once more hurt this population segment, as they stand to lose the most.
