CBO says ‘repeal and do nothing’ would result in 32m uninsured Americans; up 10m from ‘repeal and replace’

(BISMARCK, ND) – It’s official. North Dakota’s Rep. Kevin Cramer and Sen. John Hoeven both publicly stated their support for the staggeringly irresponsible plan to “repeal and do nothing” on health care.  

Speaking on KNOX 1310 AM this morning, Rep. Cramer said: “The simplicity of a straight repeal is really the better way to go.”

On KVLY-TV last night, Sen. Hoeven was asked: “The vote that’s coming up next week, are you a Yes for that vote?” Hoeven responded: “I’m a Yes on that. As a matter of fact, we voted on that two years ago.”

In a report yesterday, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said the Republican “repeal and do nothing” bill would take health coverage away from 32 million Americans, an increase of 10 million uninsured Americans over the “repeal and replace” bill. In North Dakota, tens of thousands of individuals could lose coverage, either because they would no longer have access to Medicaid or because their insurance premiums would double over the next decade.

Senator Hoeven previously said he would have voted against the Senate’s “repeal and replace” bill, but only after it became obvious that the bill lacked the votes needed to pass.

“It doesn’t matter which version of repeal we’re talking about – every proposal would effectively end Medicaid expansion, rip health coverage away from tens of thousands of North Dakotans, and price even more families out of the insurance market,” said Democratic-NPL spokesperson Daniel Tick. “As every major medical organization has said, these proposals aren’t just bad policy; they’re downright harmful. Now, more than ever, Rep. Cramer and Sen. Hoeven need to hear from the thousands of North Dakotans who are raising their voices in support of protecting our health care. They’ll only listen if we keep calling.”

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Sen. Hoeven’s voice is (unsurprisingly) absent

(BISMARCK, ND) – On the heels of a second failure to pass their so-called ‘health care’ bill, some Senate Republicans are floating the idea of repealing health care protections for tens of thousands of North Dakotans and millions of Americans without passing any replacement at all.

To do so, in the words of many Republicans (but not Sen. Hoeven), would be staggeringly irresponsible. 

According to Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), repealing health care protections in current law without a replacement is a “nonstarter.” “I tell you it will be uncertainty in the insurance markets, premiums will rise for milled-class families, it gives all the power to people who actually don’t believe in president Trump’s campaign pledges,” Cassidy said just days ago.

According to Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.VA): “I did not come to Washington to hurt people […] I have serious concerns about how we continue to provide affordable care to those who have benefited from West Virginia’s decision to expand Medicaid, especially in light of the growing opioid crisis. All of the Senate health care discussion drafts have failed to address these concerns adequately […] I cannot vote to repeal Obamacare without a replacement plan that addresses my concerns and the needs of West Virginians.” 

According to Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME): “I will vote no on the motion to proceed to repeal the Affordable Care Act without a replacement. I voted against this same proposal in 2015 […] We can’t just hope that we will pass a replacement within the next two years. Repealing without a replacement would create great uncertainty for individuals who rely on the ACA and cause further turmoil in the insurance markets.”

According to our own Sen. Hoeven? ….

Democratic-NPL executive director Robert Haider said:

“With Senate Republicans’ failure for the second time to pass legislation that would rip health coverage away from tens of thousands of North Dakotans, Senator Hoeven has a choice and an opportunity to come to the table and work to achieve real, bipartisan solutions that protect health care for all North Dakotans and all Americans. Or, he can continue to hide from this process, as members of his own party in Washington, DC, work to pass staggeringly irresponsible measures that put health care out of reach for working families.”   

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Opioid funding for states like ND comes up far short in revised Republican ‘heath care’ bill

(BISMARCK, ND) – Senate Republicans are scrambling to make sweetheart deals and concessions that garner enough support to pass their widely panned, deeply unpopular ‘health care’ bill.

One such concession: Add $4.5 billion per year for 10 years for states like North Dakota that have been impacted by the opioid crisis. But medical professionals, addiction specialists, and even Republican governors say this funding is much-too-little to compensate for the dismantling of Medicaid that would occur if the Republican plan is enacted into law.

According to the New York Times:

“The new money would most likely flow to states in the form of grants over 10 years, averaging out to $4.5 billion per year. With hundreds of people dying every week from overdoses of heroin, fentanyl and opioid painkillers, some specialists say a fixed amount of grant money is simply inadequate compared with the open-ended funding stream that Medicaid provides to treat all who qualify for the coverage.”

According to Politico:

“Addiction experts and others across the political spectrum say that boosting the current bill’s $2 billion for substance abuse services is like applying a Band-Aid to a gunshot wound. Throwing a pile of cash at addiction won’t make it go away, say critics. It’s a complex, lifelong, medical problem that requires regular health care.”

According to Republican Ohio Gov. John Kasich:

“That’s like spitting in the ocean.”

Under current law, addiction services are designated “essential benefits,” and therefore must be covered under plans sold on private-market exchanges. Additionally, Medicaid expansion has greatly increased access to addiction treatment for previously underserved populations.     

Both the Senate and House versions of the Republican proposals would effectively end Medicaid expansion and cap Medicaid funding, ripping health coverage away from tens of thousands of North Dakotans and millions of Americans. Additionally, the Republican health care proposals allow states to waive essential health benefits, including addiction services and mental health care for those suffering from addiction.

“As Republicans work to pass a bill that dismantles Medicaid – a program providing treatment for many North Dakotans battling addiction – this concession is an inadequate drop in the bucket,” said Democratic-NPL executive director Robert Haider. “It is a meager attempt to garner ‘Yes’ votes from wavering Senators like John Hoeven who desperately need a reason to justify supporting such a terrible bill. If the goal is truly to improve health care for North Dakotans, the Senate must go back to the drawing board and seek real, bipartisan solutions that build on what works and fix what doesn’t. The Senate and House versions of this bill are simply too flawed to be fixed with a few Band-Aids.”

(BISMARCK, ND) – In response to a new CBO estimate showing the Senate health care bill would cut Medicaid by 35 percent over the next two decades, Democratic-NPL executive director Robert Haider issued the following statement:

“Just last month, Senator Hoeven said, ‘any reforms made to the Medicaid program should work for states, providers and those who rely on the program.’ He must not have been in the back room where they drafted the Republican health care bill in secret, because this legislation would slash Medicaid by nearly $800 billion in the first decade, and by 35 percent in the next 20 years. That means millions of Americans and thousands of North Dakotans will lose their health care, rural hospitals will be forced to close, and states will be increasingly burdened with steep additional costs. Senator Hoeven, will you protect North Dakotans who rely on Medicaid for their health care by voting NO on this cruel bill or any bill that slashes Medicaid?”  

Earlier in the week, the CBO released its official “score” of the Senate Republican health care bill, showing that 22 million Americans would lose health coverage, including 15 million who would lose Medicaid coverage. Additionally, out-of-pocket costs for low-income Americans, working families and the elderly would skyrocket.

Rural hospitals in states like North Dakota rely heavily on Medicaid to keep their doors open and over 90,000 North Dakotans, including 36,000 North Dakotan children, have access to health care through Medicaid.

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(BISMARCK, ND) – Senator John Hoeven and Rep. Kevin Cramer are each responding in their own way to yesterday’s report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office showing just how cruel the Republican health care plan really is: Hoeven has gone into hiding, and Cramer has decided to simply lie about it.

Following the CBO report, Senator Hoeven, in an unsurprisingly evasive and cagey statement, refused to take a position on the bill, saying only that the report “indicates this legislation needs additional work.”  

Even though the non-partisan Kaiser Family Foundation confirmed that, on average, North Dakotans would see their premiums increase by 76 percent under the Senate health care bill compared to current law, Cramer continues to debate facts. He went on national television and repeated flat-out falsehoods that, “People aren’t going to lose their health care.” This, despite the CBO showing that over 20 million people would lose their health care, and private-market insurance options would be substantially more expensive while offering skimpier levels of coverage.

To recap, yesterday’s CBO report on the Senate bill shows the following:

– 22 million Americans would lose their health insurance, including 15 million next year alone.

– 4 million Americans would lose their employer-based coverage in 2018 alone.

– Nearly 45 percent of tax cuts in the Senate bill would go to the top 1 percent (those making over $875,000), according to the Tax Policy Center.

Responding to Hoeven and Cramer, Democratic-NPL executive director Robert Haider said the following:

“Senator Hoeven is hiding yet again so that he doesn’t have to defend himself to the North Dakotans who will be harmed by his refusal to protect their health care. And Kevin Cramer is lying yet again in an attempt to deceive North Dakotans about his vote to take away health coverage from millions of Americans while raising premiums for those of us who do get to keep our insurance. These circumstances would be sad if they weren’t so predictable.

The delay on the vote on the Senate health care bill reinforces why North Dakotans must continue to tell Hoeven and Cramer why this bill would be bad for our state, as they have been doing. We need to make sure any bill Congress passes actually works for North Dakota – and this bill absolutely does not.”

(BISMARCK, ND) – Today, Senate Republicans finally released the full text of their health care legislation, which was drafted behind closed doors in a highly secretive process without allowing public hearings.

Here’s what the bill’s details reveal:

Imposes even deeper cuts to Medicaid – The bill would impose even deeper cuts to Medicaid than the House version, which effectively eliminates Medicaid expansion and cuts funding for non-expansion Medicaid by $880 billion. In North Dakota, 20,000 individuals who gained health coverage through Medicaid expansion would stand to lose access to care. Additionally, tens of thousands of North Dakotans who depend on non-expansion Medicaid would face significantly reduced or eliminated coverage, including 36,000 low-income North Dakotan children. Critical care access hospitals throughout rural North Dakota also depend on Medicaid funding to help keep their doors open. 

Guts protections for patients with pre-existing conditions – The bill allows insurance companies to water down health care plans by allowing states to opt out of requiring “essential health benefits.” Essential health benefits cover services like maternity care, substance abuse treatment and behavioral health services, as well as other provisions that guarantee patients are provided quality coverage. As many as 300,000 North Dakotans have pre-existing conditions, which can include asthma, cancer, diabetes, or even being pregnant. These patients would face substantially increased health care costs, putting quality health care out of reach for many. 

Provides tax cuts for the wealthy – Perhaps the cruelest aspect of the Senate Republican health care bill is that it would devastate health coverage for tens of thousands of North Dakotan families – and millions of Americans nationwide – all while giving billions of dollars in tax breaks to the most affluent and special interests, like national insurance companies that pay their CEOs over $500,000. 

In response to the release of Senate Republicans’ health care bill, Democratic-NPL executive director Robert Haider said:

“As expected, this legislation closely mirrors Kevin Cramer’s so-called ‘health care’ bill, which rips health coverage away from over 30,000 North Dakotans, while increasing premiums for average North Dakotans by about $800 per year. It would gut protections for patients with pre-existing conditions, increase out-of-pocket health care costs, and devastate Medicaid, which provides health coverage to 93,000 North Dakotans, including 36,000 children whose health care would be jeopardized. It does all of this while also cutting taxes for the most affluent individuals and special interests groups. That’s cruel, plain and simple, and it’s wrong for North Dakota.”