Helena – Here we go again. The Senate Majority is attempting a last-ditch effort to destabilize America’s current health care system, and Steve Daines and Greg Gianforte still won't tell Montanans if they support the plan. This bill would:
- “Radically restructure and deeply cut Medicaid,” threatening coverage for more than 70,000 Montanans;
- Eliminate tax-credits that help more than 40,000 Montanans afford health insurance;
- Jeopardize protections for people with pre-existing conditions, allowing insurers to charge sick people higher premiums for the same coverage;
- Make it harder for women to get insurance coverage for abortion and easier for states to eliminate requirements mandating insurance companies cover maternity care. It's described as the “worst [bill] yet for women’s health,” and would prohibit the use of federal Medicaid funds to pay for care at Planned Parenthood clinics, meaning low-income women could no longer access their services;
- Allow insurers to institute an estimated $20,450 surcharge for people addicted to opioids.
Unfortunately, we don’t know the full extent of the damage that this bill would cause because it hasn’t been scored by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, and a full analysis will not be available before the Senate holds its vote.
However, the preliminary numbers are so bad that the proposal has already been opposed by the AARP, the American Medical Association, the Children’s Hospital Association, andsixteen patient and provider groups including the American Heart Association, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, and the American Diabetes Association.
This article was originally posted on the Montana Democrats site. To read the full article click on New Washington Health Care Bill
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