CBO confirms: Senate health care bill just as cruel as House version

22 million lose health coverage; $770 billion cut from Medicaid; premiums for moderate-income 64 y/o increase from $6,800 to $20,500

 

(BISMARCK, ND) – The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office today released its official analysis of the Senate Republican health care bill, showing that the legislation is just as cruel, if not crueler, than the version passed by the House.

“It didn’t seem possible, but judging from today’s CBO report, the Senate plan to strip health care from millions of Americans might be even meaner than the House version,” said Democratic-NPL executive director Robert Haider. “This bill would increase costs and reduce the quality of care for working North Dakotans, those living in rural communities, senior citizens and hundreds of thousands of our friends, family members and neighbors who are living with pre-existing conditions. Meanwhile, it would give tax breaks to high-income earners and those who don’t need another handout from the government. There’s only one way to describe these impacts: cruel.”

 

22 million more uninsured Americans:

According to the CBO, the Senate Republican health care bill would result in 22 million additional Americans losing health coverage (compared to 23 million who would lose coverage under the House version), including 15 million who would lose coverage as soon as next year. 

Losses in health coverage wouldn’t just impact those who purchase insurance on the private market: Next year alone, four million Americans with employer-sponsored insurance would also lose their coverage under the Senate bill 

Huge premium increases: 

Under the legislation, lower-income Americans would be forced to pay more for skimpier health coverage and costs for older, moderate-income Americans would skyrocket; an average, 64-year-old with an income of $56,000 could expect to see their premiums increase from $6,800 under current law to $20,500 under the Senate bill.

Cuts $770 billion from Medicaid:

Like the House version, the Senate Republican health care bill effectively ends Medicaid expansion, and imposes severe cuts to traditional Medicaid funding. The bill eliminates a total of $772 billion or 26 percent of Medicaid funding, resulting in 15 million fewer Americans covered under the program.

This would be especially devastating to rural states like North Dakota where hospitals in remote communities rely on Medicaid funding to keep their doors open and over 90,000 North Dakotans, including 36,000 children, have access to health care through Medicaid.      

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Sen. Hoeven hides from his party’s cruel health care bill; Rep. Cramer lies about it

(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.”

Kevin Cramer’s ‘Rescue Mission’: Tax cuts for the rich, paid for by gutting health care for working families

(BISMARCK, ND) – Congressman Kevin Cramer calls the Republican health care plan he helped author “a rescue mission.” He’s right, in one sense: Cramer’s bill would rescue wealthy individuals and special interests by giving them huge tax breaks paid for by gutting health coverage for working North Dakotans. 

According to the Fargo Forum, the Republican health care bill that passed the House “would eliminate health coverage for 30,100 North Dakotans, according to an analysis by the Center for American Progress, a nonpartisan nonprofit group.” Additionally, under Cramer’s bill, an average 40-year-old North Dakotan would face increased premiums of about $800 per year, according to the nonpartisan Century Foundation. And, by imposing severe cuts to Medicaid, Cramer’s bill would force hundreds of rural hospitals in North Dakota and across the country to roll back their services or close their doors entirely.

However, the highest-income earners would indeed be “rescued” under Cramer’s bill. According to the Center for American Progress, North Dakota households with annual incomes over $1 million would receive tax cuts averaging $32,271 per year. Nationwide, the most affluent one percent would be “rescued” by nearly $400 million in tax breaks, including a capital-gains tax cut for wealthy individuals that would be retroactive to January of this year.

“Rep. Kevin Cramer’s so-called ‘health care’ bill isn’t about health care at all – it’s about tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires, and handouts for special interests,” said Democratic-NPL executive director Robert Haider. “Cramer’s bill would ‘rescue’ those who are already well-off with more tax breaks, while forcing North Dakotans who are sick, elderly, or living in rural communities to pick up the tab. North Dakotan’s should be asking: Who is Kevin Cramer rescuing, and who is he leaving behind?”

Senate Republicans’ so-called ‘health care’ bill imposes even deeper cuts to Medicaid, cuts taxes for the wealthy

(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.”  

Sen. Hoeven on public hearings for health care bill: ‘I don’t anticipate that.’

Hoeven refuses to call for public hearings on bill to strip coverage from tens of thousands of North Dakotans

 

(BISMARCK, ND) – Another day, and Senator John Hoeven still refuses to call for public hearings on a bill The Fargo Forum reports would strip health coverage away from 30,100 North Dakotans. The legislation being drafted behind closed doors by Senate Republicans is anticipated to come up for a vote as soon as next week, without any public hearings or consideration of bipartisan amendments.       

According to The Forum: “The Senate bill is being drafted in secret, without public hearings or the opportunity to offer amendments. Senators reportedly will have 10 hours to review the bill before voting on it.”

Appearing recently on KVLY-TV, Sen. Hoeven was asked bluntly: “Will there be hearings on this bill?” His response: “I don’t anticipate that.”  

In response, Democratic-NPL executive director Robert Haider released the following statement:

“Here in North Dakota, we believe in an open process where laws are passed in full view of the public. Refusing to hold public hearings on a bill that threatens to rip health coverage away from tens of thousands of North Dakotans, while increasing out-of-pocket costs for hundreds of thousands more, simply isn’t the North Dakota way. We deserve better from our elected leaders. Sen. Hoeven, will you stand up for North Dakotans and demand they get to see what’s in the bill? Will you vote against this bill if it threatens to rip health coverage away from North Dakotan families as the House version would do?”

Trump is right.

President Trump calls Kevin Cramer’s ‘health care’ bill “Mean”

(BISMARCK, ND) – This week, in a meeting with Republican Senators, President Trump changed his tone regarding the ‘health care’ bill Congressman Cramer helped author, calling it “mean.”

In response, Democratic-NPL executive director Robert Haider issued the following statement:

“We happen to agree with the president. The so-called ‘health care’ bill Kevin Cramer helped author would be devastating for tens of thousands of North Dakotans. It would increase premiums next year by approximately $800 for the average 40-year-old North Dakotan. It would strip away protections for patients with pre-existing conditions. It would slash hundreds of billions of dollars from Medicaid and end Medicaid expansion. These aren’t just our opinions – it’s what every nonpartisan analysis of the legislation shows. Given these devastating effects, it’s no surprise that every major organization representing doctors, medical professionals and patients opposes Cramer’s bill. When it comes to protecting our health care, Kevin Cramer simply refuses to do what’s right for North Dakotans.”

Democratic-NPL leaders in North Dakota have previously used language similar to the president’s to describe the Republican ‘health care’ bill. In a statement issued last month following the CBO’s report that the Republican bill would force 23 million Americans to lose coverage while providing tax cuts for high-income earners, Senator Heidi Heitkamp called the legislation “downright mean.”

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Background:

GOP ‘health care’ bill would increase premiums by around $800 next year for North Dakotans: In its recent report, the CBO found that health insurance premiums would increase by an average of 20 percent in 2018, after which premiums would become highly volatile from state-to-state as markets become destabilized. In North Dakota in 2018, that would mean average increases in premiums of $794 – $871 for individuals who are roughly 40 years old, according to pricing data from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Higher premiums would also disproportionately fall on working families and those with more severe health problems. In Morton, Burleigh, Oliver, Cass, Traill counties, insurance premiums for an average 40 year-old North Dakotan are estimated to increase by $794 in 2018. In the other 48 North Dakota counties, insurance premiums are estimated to increase by $871 in 2018.

GOP ‘health care’ bill would strip away protections for patients with pre-existing conditions: President Donald Trump made a similar claim to Pittenger’s, saying on April 30 that “pre-existing conditions are in the bill.” Politifact rated that Mostly False. Also Per Politifact: “If the AHCA passes, it would allow for people with pre-existing conditions to be charged more per year for their insurance coverage – possibly to the tune of thousands or even tens of thousands of dollars more per year, some studies have found.”

GOP ‘health care’ bill would slash hundreds of billions from Medicaid and effectively end Medicaid expansion: Many if not most of the 31 states that expanded Medicaid to low-income adults likely would end those coverage expansions if Congress ultimately approves the House Republican healthcare reform bill passed Thursday, state policy experts say. Healthcare leaders and experts in Ohio, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia predicted their states would terminate their expansions if Congress passed the American Health Care Act with its Medicaid provisions intact. They and national policy experts said they see very few states having the financial capacity or political will to maintain the expansions if the bill’s large cut in federal funding is enacted. 

Over 50 organizations representing doctors, medical professionals and patients oppose the GOP health care bill: Over 50 organizations oppose the proposed healthcare plan that will make Americans will pay more for less. The list includes nurses, doctors, hospitals, teachers, churches, and more. You can see a few here: AARP: AARP opposes this legislation, as introduced, that would weaken Medicare, leaving the door open to a voucher program that shifts costs and risks to seniors. American Medical Association: The American Health Care Act (AHCA), released by Congress this week, is intended to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA). But as introduced, it does not align with the health reform objectives that the AMA set forth in January to protect patients. While the ACA is imperfect, the current version of the AHCA is not legislation we can support. […]

Cramer, Hoeven continue blocking ‘health care’ bills from public scrutiny

Senior GOP official on why they won’t make their bill public: “We aren’t stupid.”

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
June 13, 2017

(BISMARCK, ND) – Rep. Kevin Cramer was instrumental in authoring the House Republican ‘health care’ bill behind closed doors, refusing to let the public see it, preventing consideration of amendments from across the aisle, and ultimately passing the bill without an official score from the Congressional Budget Office. None of this should come as a surprise considering the bill would dismantle protections for pre-existing conditions, leave 23 million more Americans uninsured, and drive up premiums for North Dakotans by injecting instability into the marketplace. 

Now, as the Senate works on its version of the bill, Sen. John Hoeven is following Cramer’s example. Like Cramer, Senate Republicans are drafting their ‘health care’ bill behind closed doors, and announced they “have no plans to publicly release it.” Asked why they won’t make their version of the bill public, a senior Senate aid told reporters: “We aren’t stupid.”

In the latest twist in Republican efforts to shield their so-called ‘health care’ bills from public scrutiny, it was today reported that U.S. Capitol reporters “have been told they are not allow to film interviews with senators in hallways, contrary to years of precedent.”

Responding to Cramer and Hoeven’s attempts to overhaul the nation’s health care behind closed doors, Democratic-NPL executive director Robert Haider released the following statement:

“Kevin Cramer set a dangerous example when he led the effort to dismantle protections for pre-existing conditions, once again allow insurance companies to gouge working families, and slash funding for Medicaid by hundreds of billions of dollars. Now, Senator Hoeven is following suit. We should all be asking: If Cramer and Hoeven’s health care proposals are as good as they claim, why must they resort to such drastic measures to prevent public scrutiny? And, if these proposals are as harmful as every single independent analysis shows, how can we trust Cramer and Hoeven to do what’s right for North Dakotans?”

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Background:

Republican ‘Health Care’ Bill Would Leave 23 Million More Uninsured, C.B.O. Says: “A bill to dismantle the Affordable Care Act that narrowly passed the House this month would leave 14 million more people uninsured next year than under President Barack Obama’s health law — and 23 million more in 2026, the Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday. Some of the nation’s sickest would pay much more for health care.”

Under Kevin Cramer’s ‘health care’ bill, insurance premiums in North Dakota will increase $794 – $871 in North Dakota next year: In its recent report, the CBO found that health insurance premiums would increase by an average of 20 percent in 2018, after which premiums would become highly volatile from state-to-state as markets become destabilized. In North Dakota in 2018, that would mean average increases in premiums of $794 – $871 for individuals who are roughly 40 years old, according to pricing data from the Kaiser Family Foundation. 

Wayne Stenehjem joins political effort to support travel ban

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 7, 2017

(BISMARCK, N.D.) – After multiple federal courts have blocked President Trump’s travel ban from implementation, Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem has joined Republican officials from 15 other states to support the ban at the Supreme Court.

In response to Stenehjem’s actions, Democratic-NPL executive director Robert Haider released the following statement:

“While our safety and security are paramount, the problem with this ban is that it’s disingenuous and actually hurts our country in the war against ISIS, as national security experts have stated over and over.

“We are America and we have always welcomed those who seek a better future. Communities across North Dakota have been built and supported by refugees and immigrants from Canada, Norway, Somalia, Iraq, and many places in between. Immigrants from all over the world help support our economies – working at our businesses and starting their own, filling critical jobs, and growing their families here in our state. They are part of our community.

“Stenehjem wants to play politics with an issue that’s about community, family, and safety. That’s disappointing and wrong – and he should know better.”

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Kevin Cramer’s ‘health care’ bill threatens addiction treatment for 1.84 million Americans

Cramer says his priority is addressing the addiction crisis; his actions tell a different story

(BISMARCK, ND) – Last week, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released its official analysis of the Republican ‘health care’ bill. According to the CBO, 23 million Americans would lose their health insurance and 1.84 million Americans seeking treatment for drug addiction and mental health disorders would be at risk of losing coverage or facing substantially higher costs. 

In North Dakota, where the number of overdose deaths increased 125 percent from 2013-14, Cramer helped pass a bill that would dismantle many of the protections necessary to address this crisis.

“Cramer likes to talk about how he prioritizes fighting the opioid abuse crisis that’s become so prevalent and painful for many families in North Dakota, particularly in our rural communities,” said Democratic-NPL executive director Robert Haider. “But when it comes time to turn words into action, we see Cramer’s true colors. This legislation, which every independent analysis shows will be awful for North Dakota, threatens to leave nearly 2 million Americans seeking addiction treatment out in the cold.”

The Republican health care bill, which Cramer has championed, would cut $880 billion from Medicaid and effectively end Medicaid expansion. According to the U.S. Joint Economic Committee, Medicaid covers 17.4 percent of opioid addiction treatment in North Dakota. The Republican legislation also allows states to rescind many of the existing protections related to health insurance benefits, including those dealing with addiction treatment and mental health care. The CBO estimates that one-third of Americans live in states that would rescind some protections and one-sixth of Americans live in states that would rescind many protections.

This means that 1.84 million Americans who are currently receiving treatment for substance-use disorders would be at risk of losing their coverage and/or being forced to pay much higher costs for their care.

“At a time when North Dakota is confronting an addiction crisis, Kevin Cramer is putting partisan politics ahead of the citizens he represents,” added Haider. “Cramer’s backwards priorities threaten our families.”   

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Background:

The Republican ‘health care’ bill threatens addiction treatment for1.84 million Americans: Approximately 1.84 million people in the US are receiving treatment for substance-use disorders or mental illnesses through the Medicaid expansion or the ACA’s individual insurance marketplace, according to research conducted by Richard Frank, a professor of health economics at Harvard Medical School, and Sherry Glied, a dean at New York University. All of those people would be at risk of losing the approximately $5.5 billion paid out for treatment through those two avenues of insurance.

On Kevin Cramer’s Paris climate agreement flip-flop

Cramer opposed Paris agreement, then supported it, then opposed it again after Trump didn’t listen to him

 

(BISMARCK, ND) – In response to Rep. Kevin Cramer flip-flopping his position on the Paris Climate Agreement for the second time, North Dakota Democratic-NPL executive director Robert Haider issued the following statement:

“Congressman Kevin Cramer goes wherever the prevailing political winds blow.

“In the case of the Paris Climate Deal, Cramer opposed the agreement, then reversed himself and supported it – even publishing a Wall Street Journal article in support – then flip flopped a second time saying he again opposes the deal. We can’t imagine his flip-flopping has anything to do with President Trump refusing to heed his advice to remain in the Paris Deal.  

“Kevin Cramer’s first and only job is to do what’s best for North Dakota and the country. Instead, he’s focused on saving face and covering his political flank when the president refuses to listen to his advice. He can’t have it both ways.”  

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Cramer’s double standard: Remains silent & fails to stand up for North Dakotans’ security

Does Cramer stand by previous statements criticizing others for “mishandling” classified intel?

(BISMARCK, ND) – Alarming reports that the White House jeopardized America’s national security by disclosing highly classified information to Russian diplomats have shocked the intelligence community and national security experts on both sides of the aisle. Yet, Congressman Kevin Cramer remains silent. Will he hold the president and the country’s security to the same standard he set for others?

Last year, Cramer said an elected official who mishandles classified intelligence, and who could potentially serve as president, “Isn’t qualified to have a security clearance.” 

Cramer also introduced a bill in 2015 with the goal of protecting the country’s secrets, saying, “It is in the interest of national security to ensure our nation’s secrets and communications between our top leaders receive the highest level of protection.

In fact, the legislation introduced by Cramer would disqualify public officials who mishandle classified intelligence from holding public office and subject them to punishment including up to three years in prison.

Responding to the obvious contradiction between Cramer’s previous statements and his unquestioning support for the White House, North Dakota Democratic-NPL executive director Robert Haider said:

“‘Kevin Cramer’ and ‘double standard’ go hand-in-hand. By remaining silent about the frightening reports that the president disclosed highly confidential information to the Russians – even after Russia interfered in our country’s elections – Cramer is making a national security issue political, when it should be nonpartisan. But North Dakotans should be used to it by now. He also refuses to hold those in office to the same standard for mishandling classified intelligence that he set for others. That isn’t leadership. North Dakotans need a member of Congress who fights to make sure they are safe. Once again, Cramer is standing up for himself, but not North Dakota.”

In addition to repeatedly dismissing bipartisan concerns over Russian interference in the U.S. election, Cramer has also remained silent on calls from members of both parties for an independent prosecutor to investigate Russia’s attempts to influence U.S. security interests. Last week, following the abrupt firing of FBI Director James Comey – just as the Russia investigation led by Comey was ramping up – Cramer called concerns over Comey’s firing “crazy” and “laughable in a pathetic way.”

ICYMI: Kevin Cramer Supports Eliminating Essential Air Service (EAS) Program

(BISMARCK, N.D.) – Kevin Cramer is now trying to eradicate another vital service for North Dakotans: the Essential Air Service program. He recently told a local radio host that he is in favor of “eliminating the entire program” as the president’s budget calls for, after previously supporting EAS.

“Kevin Cramer’s decision to support eliminating the Essential Air Service program doesn’t make sense for North Dakota,” said Robert Haider, Executive Director of the North Dakota Democratic-NPL Party.“The EAS program provides needed support to local airports, helping rural economies grow and supporting jobs in rural areas. After pursuing the Republicans’ failed health care platform that would have left millions of Americans uninsured and forced older Americans to pay more for their care, Kevin Cramer continues to show that he isn’t standing up for North Dakota’s best interest by advocating to eliminate a program that North Dakotans depend on.”

The Essential Air Service program provides vital funding to North Dakota airports:

– The EAS has provided nearly $11 million to North Dakota airports to ensure the continuation of services.
– The program has a history of proven results:

– Jamestown Regional Airport had a 39% increase in boarding passengers in 2016 after receiving EAS funding [West Fargo Pioneer, 1/16/17]

– Devils Lake Regional Airport had a 32% increase in boarding passengers in 2016 after receiving EAS funding [West Fargo Pioneer, 1/16/17]