Consumers group responds to Collins-Cassidy ACA replacement
Emily Brostek, executive director of Consumers for Affordable Health Care, issued a statement following the introduction of the “Patient Freedom Act” by U.S. Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Bill Cassidy, R-La., on Monday:
"Today's bill left us with more questions than answers. Opponents of the ACA have not been able to agree on what they would do to replace the ACA for the past six years. We are no closer to a replacement bill today than we were yesterday."
Brostek posed a series of questions that her organization believes “must be answered by any replacement plan”:
Will everyone who has coverage today still have coverage under this replacement plan?
Will this "plan" make coverage more affordable for people — lowering their premiums, deductibles and out-of-pocket costs — while not taking away any of their current benefits?
Will everyone who currently gets a health insurance tax credit continue to receive the same amount or more so that they not only "have access to coverage" but can afford it?
Will this "plan" maintain the current protections for people with pre-existing conditions that are in the current law?
Will this "plan" guarantee that a woman can't be charged more than a man for her health insurance simply because she is a woman?
Will insurance companies in all states still be required to cover check-ups for kids, mammograms and birth control without co-pays? Will mental health and prescription drugs still be covered at the same level?
Will this "plan" prevent insurance companies from charging people over 55 more than they are today?
Will everyone that is covered today through Medicaid continue to have coverage without paying more?
Will this "plan" require large companies and other big employers to continue providing health coverage for their employees?
Will this "plan" cut taxes for pharmaceutical companies and the wealthiest?
"Maine people deserve answers to these questions,” she said in her statement. “Mainers deserve a plan that protects high-quality, affordable care for those who depend on our rural hospitals, our small business owners and so many others who now have health care for the first time. We need Congress to pass a real plan that protects high-quality, affordable care before they rip apart the current system."
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