Forty nonprofit, nonpartisan organizations issued a statement this week to the House Energy & Commerce and Ways & Means Committees in regard to budget cuts and policy changes affecting Medicaid and health-care marketplaces.
“As organizations representing millions of patients with serious and chronic health conditions, we are deeply alarmed by the anticipated actions of two key House committees, including devastating Medicaid cuts and the proposed codification of policies included in the “Marketplace Integrity and Affordability” proposed rule. The codification of this rule will erode the quality of coverage sold on the marketplaces and erect barriers for those seeking marketplace coverage. The combined impact of just these two proposals has the potential to push millions out of Medicaid and the marketplace during a time when they are already struggling to afford soaring health care costs.
“Despite repeated public assertions that people who rely on Medicaid would not be harmed as a result of these policy proposals, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has confirmed our worst fears: the math does not work without steep cuts to Medicaid. The policies put forward by the Energy and Commerce Committee would terminate health coverage for at least 13.7 million people, including low-income working adults, Medicare beneficiaries, children, people with disabilities, and patients with complex health conditions. The proposals put forward by the Ways & Means Committee will only add to the problem.
“Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are not line items in a budget—they are literally lifelines for the patients we serve. Legislation released this week by both Committees would not only pile on additional layers of red tape for patients and their providers but also increase administrative costs for states that must implement these program changes.
“Further, efforts to parse who is deserving of care and who is not will wreak havoc on the lives of the patients we represent. Patients with chronic diseases have no uniform experience; but each one is deserving of care. If these cuts become law, it will mean fewer doctors, fewer treatments, and fewer resources for the people who need them most. Millions stand to lose coverage entirely, while cash-strapped states will be left scrambling to fill impossible funding gaps.
“These threats, combined with the pending ACA tax credit cliff, would turn existing cracks in coverage into gorges, hitting low- and moderate-income patients and families hardest. At a time when costs for American households are already stretched to the breaking point, we cannot afford to rip away any pathway to high-quality, affordable coverage.
“We urge congressional leaders to reject these cruel and reckless policies. Now is the time to protect the health and economic security of the American people—not take away the care they need to survive.”
AiArthritis
Alpha-1 Foundation
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
American Diabetes Association
American Kidney Fund
American Lung Association
Arthritis Foundation
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
Autoimmune Association
Cancer Support Community
CancerCare
Chronic Disease Coalition
Crohn's & Colitis Foundation
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Epilepsy Foundation of America
EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases
Family Voices National
Foundation for Sarcoidosis Research
Hemophilia Federation of America
Immune Deficiency Foundation
Lupus Foundation of America
Lutheran Services in America
Muscular Dystrophy Association
National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)
National Bleeding Disorders Foundation
National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship
National Health Council
National Kidney Foundation
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
National Organization for Rare Disorders
National Patient Advocate Foundation
National Psoriasis Foundation
Pulmonary Hypertension Association
Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, Inc.
Susan G. Komen
The AIDS Institute
The Coalition for Hemophilia B
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Volunteers of America
WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease
