What the newest GOP repeal bill means for North Dakota

(BISMARCK, ND) – In their relentless effort to pass some version of a health care repeal bill – it seems any version will do – Senate Republicans will vote this evening on a so-called “skinny repeal bill.”

There are many details we don’t yet know about this bill, which would impact one-sixth of the national economy, and will receive a vote in a matter of hours. But, here’s what we do know from the publically available information: 

Coverage losses: As many as 34,600 North Dakotans could lose their health coverage by 2026 in addition to tens of millions of Americans across the country.

Premium increases: In North Dakota, annual health insurance premiums would increase by an average of $794.

Uncompensated care: North Dakota hospitals would face increased costs in uncompensated care totaling an estimated $31 million.

Blank check to dismantle Medicaid: Passing this new version of a repeal bill – which has received no hearings, has not gone through the normal committee process, and the details of which are still unknown to Senators who are about to vote on it – would give House Republicans a blank check to impose deep cuts and begin dismantling Medicaid. 

Republican Senators know this bill is “terrible policy”: Senator Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) today called skinny repeal “terrible policy” and admitted that it would “destroy insurance markets and not even remotely replace [the Affordable Care Act.”

“Senator Hoeven’s own Republican colleagues are calling this bill ‘terrible policy,’” said Democratic-NPL spokesperson Daniel Tick. “What will it take for Senator Hoeven to drop his support for this effort to repeal health care for tens of thousands of North Dakotans, and instead sit down with members of both parties and work on bipartisan solutions that truly improve our care?”

-30-