GOP Health Care Bill Will Cut Benefits

Unlike Democratic Alternative, Studies Show that Misguided GOP Legislation Could Increase the Number of Uninsured & Reduce Benefits

House Republicans today approved a healthcare bill for small businesses that will actually reduce healthcare benefits for as many as 8 million workers and could increase, rather than decrease, the number of Americans without health insurance. Republicans rejected a Democratic alternative that would have expanded healthcare coverage to millions of American families.

Instead of expanding affordable health care coverage for people who need it, House Republicans chose once again to help powerful business lobbyists,” said Rep. George Miller, the senior Democrat on the House Education and the Workforce Committee. “There are 45 million Americans without health insurance, and shamefully, today’s action not only doesn’t help solve this crisis but it worsens it by reducing healthcare benefits, increasing healthcare premiums, and eliminating health coverage altogether for many Americans.”

The Democratic alternative, offered by Reps. Rob Andrews (D-NJ) and Ron Kind (D-WI), would have created an affordable national health insurance pool for all businesses with 100 or fewer employees, including self-employed workers. It would have offered coverage to millions of American families.

According to the Congressional Budget Office, the Republican bill – H.R. 525 – would provide health insurance to only 600,000 of the 45 million Americans that are now uninsured. But a Mercer Consulting study estimates that the Republican bill would actually drive up the number of uninsured Americans. The CBO also estimates that 8 million Americans will see their healthcare benefits reduced as a result of the Republican legislation, and that premiums will increase for small businesses that choose not to participate in the plan created by the Republican bill.

The Administration’s supposed health plan for small businesses will only exacerbate the problem of the uninsured and eviscerate the protection of a patient’s right to important procedures and benefits like mammograms, hospital stays after Cesarean sections, mental health benefits and rights to appeal HMO decisions,” said Andrews, the senior Democrat on the Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations. “Essentially, AHPs will have the same ability that Multiple Employer Welfare Arrangements had in the late 80’s – the ability to exploit some of the most vulnerable Americans without consequence.”

Unlike the Republican plan, the Andrews-Kind plan would expand healthcare coverage for small businesses and their employees. In addition to creating a national health insurance pool that small businesses could easily buy into, the Democratic plan offers relief to small businesses and their employees by helping to pay their healthcare premiums. Also unlike the Republican plan, the Democratic plan would rely on state-licensed insurers and would not preempt state laws, thereby preventing fraud and abuse by insurance providers.

We ought to heed the Hippocratic Oath, which begins ‘First do no harm,’ as we consider how to best address the growing problem of healthcare in this country,” said Kind, a member of the Education and the Workforce Committee. “At best, the AHP legislation offered today by House Republicans would do little to address the plight of the millions of uninsured in this country; but more likely, the plan would destabilize existing insurance providers, drive up premiums, and repeal hard fought medical coverage for women and minorities. The Democratic plan not only avoids these pitfalls, but goes farther to make healthcare more affordable for small businesses and their employees.”

Miller noted that this is the fourth time that the House has passed this bill without ever enacting it into law because the Senate does not agree with it. “They bring this bill to the floor to pretend that they have the answer to the uninsured, but the reality is they have no solution,” said Miller. “Once again, they have missed an opportunity to move America forward.”

SOURCE: Rep. Miller's Office