Hospital and physician groups tell Congress they can't support AHCA as drafted

Mar 08, 2017 - 04:17 PM

In a letter today to members of Congress, the AHA, America’s Essential Hospitals, Association of American Medical Colleges, Catholic Health Association of the United States, Children’s Hospital Association, Federation of American Hospitals, and National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems said they “cannot support the American Health Care Act as currently written.” Absent Congressional Budget Office analysis, “our assessment of this legislation as currently drafted is that it is likely to result in a substantial reduction in the number of Americans able to buy affordable health insurance or maintain coverage under the Medicaid program,” the hospital organizations said. “…Additionally, maintaining deep provider reductions while dramatically reducing coverage will reduce our ability to provide essential care to those newly uninsured and those without adequate insurance.” In a separate letter, the American Medical Association told House committee leaders that it “cannot support the AHCA as drafted because of the expected decline in health insurance coverage and the potential harm it would cause to vulnerable patient populations.”

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