The Congressional Budget Office finally released the non-partisan scoring of the newest TrumpCare plan. Not only will this bill rip away health care coverage from 22 million Americans, it will also cause insurance premiums for those with chronic conditions to skyrocket and slash funding for Medicaid.
Adam Putnam has previously called for the full repeal of the Affordable Care Act, but today he’s hiding from this disastrous bill that would leave Floridians paying more for less coverage and roll back efforts to fight the opioid epidemic… all for a few tax breaks for the wealthiest few.
State Waivers For Cutting Benefits: The new TrumpCare bill allows states to obtain a waiver to drop protections of essential health benefits like maternity care, mental health and prescription drugs, potentially leading to women paying thousands more for maternity care and seniors choosing between their regular prescriptions and groceries.
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Florida near last of states in access to mental health care. [Mental Health America, 2016]
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State waivers could lead to fewer providers accepting Medicaid patients, patients forgoing care that is not covered, or loss of access to Medicaid coverage altogether. “If states reduced payment rates, fewer providers might be willing to accept Medicaid patients, especially given that, in many cases, Medicaid’s rates are already significantly below those of Medicare or private insurance for some of the same services… If states reduced covered services, some enrollees might decide either to pay out of pocket or to forgo those services entirely. And if states narrowed their categories of eligibility or used administrative procedures that made it more difficult to enroll, some enrollees would lose access to Medicaid coverage, although some would become eligible for subsidies for nongroup coverage through the marketplaces or could choose to enroll in employment-based insurance, if it was available.” [CBO]
Medicaid Cuts: The bill would slash funding for Medicaid.
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More than 4.3 million Florida residents enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP. [Medicaid.gov, 6/21/17]
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At least 119,000 military veterans in Florida relied on Medicaid. [WFSU, 5/25/17]
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The Senate bill defunds Planned Parenthood, limiting 15% of their patients’ access to health care under the Medicaid program. [CBO]
Cuts to Fighting Opioid Epidemic: The Senate bill would strip away Medicaid funding that helps Florida fight the growing Opioid epidemic.
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Nearly 2,000 people died from opioid overdoses in 2015. [Kaiser Family Foundation]
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12% of 2015 opioid-related overdose deaths nationwide occurred in Florida. [NBC News, 5/4/17]
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Between 2014 and 2015, drug overdose deaths rose by 22.7% in Florida. [CDC/NCHS, National Vital Statistics System, Mortality, 2014 – 2015]
Tax Cuts for the Rich: The bill will give a tax break to the wealthy.
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The bill “would repeal an array of taxes that have helped to pay for the ACA’s benefits, including levies on health insurers and on wealthy Americans’ investment income.” [Washington Post, 6/26/2017]
American Bridge spokesperson Lizzy Price made the following statement:
“If Adam Putnam wants to be governor, he should come out and propose a plan of his own instead of hiding behind this disaster of a bill that gives tax breaks to the wealthiest few at the expense of Floridians’ health. Florida families deserve a leader that will fight for them and Putnam doesn’t have what it takes.”
Published: Jun 26, 2017