Issues: Health Care

BREAKING: White House Legislative Director Marc Short admits people with preexisting conditions will face higher premiums under Graham-Cassidy-Heller

American Bridge spokesperson Andrew Bates released the following statement after White House Legislative Director Mark Short admitted that Cassidy-Graham-Heller would force Americans with preexisting conditions to pay higher premiums, breaking with unsubstantiated denials coming from the bill’s sponsor’s. 

“The White House finally admitted what doctors, hospitals, patient advocates, and numerous other nonpartisan experts have been warning Senate Republicans about in the strongest terms: that Cassidy-Graham-Heller would take us back to the days when insurance companies could charge Americans with preexisting conditions like cancer much higher premiums.  This Trumpcare bill is a partisan disaster, and Americans who need medical coverage deserve better than a state-by-state crap shoot.”


CHRIS WALLACE: And in fact, it says states can raise premiums for coverage for preexisting conditions without any guidelines.  There’s no question it’s going to be higher in some states than it is under Obamacare.

MARC SHORT: There’s going to be some states higher, […]

Read more after the jump.

WATCH: Four Months Ago Cassidy Objected to What He’s Doing Now On His Healthcare Bill 

In May,​ Sen. Bill Cassidy told Fox on-camera that ​the policies now contained in Cassidy-Graham-Heller  would be a disaster for Americans with preexisting conditions​.​  The largest healthcare ​and patient organizations in the United States agree​.

​This comes as ​GOP insiders report ​that ​neither Republican Senators nor the White House understand the basics of this Trumpcare bill that they are rushing to jam down the country’s throats before the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office will even have time to give an official analysis of how it ​would effect their constituents’ lives.​ As it turns out​,​ Cassidy objected to ​​doing that, as well. ​

WATCH:

“Sen. Bill Cassidy has already told the American people – on camera – why the policies in his own bill would have excruciating consequences for Americans suffering from preexisting conditions like cancer.  That is why the American Cancer Society and numerous other patient organizations have joined with American’s doctors and  Read more after the jump.

Bridge Project Releases Fact Sheets Showing Dire Graham-Cassidy-Heller Impacts in Six Key States

Bridge Project today released fact sheets showing how dire the Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson plan would be for people living in six key states: Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Nevada, Ohio, and West Virginia.

Senate Republicans are attempting to push through the dangerous so-called health care bill that has not even been scored by the CBO. The analyses that are available, however, show that the Graham-Cassidy-Heller plan is even worse for the states than previous Republican bills to repeal the Affordable Care Act. It would cause 32 million Americans to lose their health care coverage, deeply cut Medicaid and other health care funding for states, eliminate or weaken protections for people with pre-existing conditions, and increase out-of-pocket costs for tens of millions of Americans. The plan would also be disastrous for older Americans.

“Republican Senators like Dean Heller […]

Read more after the jump.

SIREN: Alaska exception proves Graham-Cassidy would gut Medicaid

“Senate Republicans are blatantly attempting to buy Lisa Murkowski’s vote for a plan that would cause 32 million Americans to lose their health insurance and put the cost of covering preexisting conditions through the roof,” said American Bridge ​spokesperson Andrew Bates. “But in the process they’re admitting what they’ve tried to deny – Cassidy-Graham-Heller-Johnson would gut Medicaid and leave it unrecognizable to the nearly 69 million people who count on it.”

Politico: Alaska could get relief from Senate repeal bill’s Medicaid cuts
By JENNIFER HABERKORN
09/21/2017 01:26 PM EDT

The Senate’s Obamacare repeal bill may protect Alaska and up to four other sparsely populated states from major cuts to Medicaid through 2026, a potential boon to the home of pivotal GOP swing vote Sen. Lisa Murkowski.

The plan from Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) allows a limited number of states to opt out of its new Medicaid financing system, which would give states set sums […]

Read more after the jump.

Cassidy and Johnson can’t even keep their lies straight anymore

American Bridge spokesperson Andrew Bates released the following statement after Senators Cassidy and Graham blatantly contradicted themselves in dishonest interviews promoting the Cassidy-Graham-Heller-Johnson Trumpcare bil​l:​

“Sens. Cassidy and Johnson have told so many lies about their Trumpcare bill that now they can’t even keep their story straight.  As they flail to deceive the American people, independent health advocacy groups ranging from the American Medical Association to patient and provider organizations have already put out the truth: this bill would take insurance from 32 million Americans, cripple protections for people with preexisting conditions, send premiums up 20% next year, and kill 2.6 million jobs. That’s not spin, those are facts – and there’s no denying it.”

Video and Transcript with Reality Checks​:​
​

CASSIDY

SEN. BILL CASSIDY: Under Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson, more people will have coverage.

​Reality Check:

American Medical Association, 9/19/2017: “Millions would lose their health insurance coverage while destabilizing […]

Read more after the jump.

Bridge Project Launches New Ad Against Cassidy-Graham-Heller-Johnson Bill In Key States

To help bring transparency and accountability to Republicans’ latest dark-of-night attack against the American healthcare system, Bridge Project is releasing a new digital ad blitz targeting 6 Republican Senators, highlighting the excruciating impacts the Cassidy-Graham-Heller-Johnson legislation would have for average Americans and urging these Senators to vote against the bill.

With the backing of Donald Trump, Republicans in the Senate are rushing a bill that was written in secret by Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Dean Heller (R-NV), and Ron Johnson (R-WI) to the floor for a vote  before the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office can even determine what its full impact on American families would be. They are doing this because, as independent studies of the bill’s substance confirm, it would be a nonstarter with the American people. Polling shows all of the last Trumpcare attempts decisively rejected by the public – and Republicans want to keep […]

Read more after the jump.

FACT CHECK: Cassidy Lies About the Jimmy Kimmel Test and Devastating Impact of His Healthcare Bill

On CNN’s New Day, Sen. Bill Cassidy blatantly lied about the devastating effects that Cassidy-Graham-Heller-Johnson would have on American families, and it’s important his constituents – as well as those of every Republican Senator trying to force this bill down the throats of the American public – see the facts.

“After being caught red-handed last night, Bill Cassidy just lied through his teeth,” said American Bridge spokesperson Andrew Bates.  “This Trumpcare bill would ruin lives by taking health coverage from millions of Americans and and turning back the clock to when having a preexisting condition like cancer or congenital heart disease brought with it the threat of bankruptcy.  The truth is that Republicans are obsessed with repealing the Affordable Care Act no matter what it costs the American people so that deregulated insurance companies can screw average Americans once again.”

LIE: “Under Graham-Cassidy-Heller-Johnson more people will have coverage.”

FACT: Millions of Americans would lose their health […]

Read more after the jump.

THE KEY QUESTION FOR SENATE REPUBLICANS ABOUT CASSIDY-GRAHAM-HELLER

“How will you justify supporting this attack on Americans’ healthcare when you meet your constituents again?”

Republicans are yet again trying to force a Trumpcare bill down the American peoples’ throats that would increase health costs, gut the Affordable Care Act’s protections for people suffering from preexisting conditions, and end Medicaid as we know it.

The GOP is moving forward with this disastrous bill despite the fact that the largest patient advocacy organizations in the United States – including the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, and the American College of Physicians – have called on Senators to stand against Cassidy-Graham-Heller-Johnson.  So has the American College of Physicians, the Children’s Hospital Association, and the American Association of Retired Persons.

In response to the warnings from these various groups, American Bridge President Jessica Mackler posed the following question to every Republican senator considering this legislation:

“The top nonpartisan patent advocates in the country have warned – in the strongest terms – that this […]

Read more after the jump.

Trump’s sabotage of the Affordable Care Act costs the people of Michigan

Donald Trump is actively sabotaging Affordable Care Act (ACA) insurance marketplaces, and it is costing the people of Michigan. Today, Health Alliance Plan announced that, as a result of Trump destabilizing the market, they will withdraw from offering individual coverage plans on the health insurance exchanges in Michigan. 

This news comes after Donald Trump has taken a host of executive actions that have harmed insurance markets and driven-up healthcare costs for Americans, including an executive order on Trump’s first day in office to compromise the effectiveness of the individual mandate, calling into question whether the mandate would be enforced at all, pulling an initial round of ACA enrollment ads that had already been paid for, and cutting the overall enrollment ad budget by 90% as well as community outreach funds by 40%.

Most damaging of all, Trump has repeatedly threatened to withhold cost-sharing reductions (CSRs), which are critical in order for 7 million working people to […]

Read more after the jump.

Trump’s ACA sabotage is hurting Louisianians, but Sen. Cassidy isn’t protecting them

American Bridge spokesperson Andrew Bates released the following statement after it was reported that the Trump Administration’s most recent action undercutting the Affordable Care Act marketplaces would directly harm harm Louisianians: 

“These cuts by the Trump Administration will cause real pain for Louisiana families who need help signing up for health care in the marketplaces. But instead of standing up for those Louisianians, Sen. Bill Cassidy is working with Trump on yet another Obamacare replacement that would take insurance from millions and cripple coverage for preexisting conditions.”

Baton Rouge Advocate: Feds slash funding for helping consumers get Obamacare — 2 Louisiana nonprofits lose 80 percent
BY TED GRIGGS | TGRIGGS@THEADVOCATE.COM
SEP 15, 2017 – 11:15 AM

The two nonprofits that help Louisiana consumers enroll in Obamacare health plans have had 80 percent of the $1.7 million in funding they receive slashed by the U.S. Health and Human Services Department.

The Southwest Louisiana Area […]

Read more after the jump.