Dear Representative Herrera Beutler:
I am writing to urge you to stand up against the American Health Care Act (AHCA). Americans need good, affordable insurance, but this bill does not provide it.
ACHA would, to be sure, save money — up to $337 billion. But there’s a catch. As the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report notes, “The largest savings would come from reductions in outlays for Medicaid and from the elimination of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA’s) subsidies for nongroup health insurance.”
As you know, the CBO estimates that 14 million Americans would lose their insurance coverage as soon as 2018; by 2026, as many as 24 million would lose insurance. Furthermore, it would dramatically increase premiums for the elderly. According to the AARP, “All told, older Americans could pay up to $8,400 more per year for health insurance.” The numbers are really grim: using the CBO’s figures, the AARP reports, “The CBO analysis found that premiums would rise 20 percent to 25 percent for a 64-year-old. That means premiums for a 64-year-old earning $26,500 would increase by $12,900 in 2026, from $1,700 to $14,600.”
That means a 64-year-old person earning $26,500 would pay 55% of his or her pre-tax income on medical insurance premiums, leaving him or her with $11,600 per annum to pay for food, housing, and everything else.
The drive to eliminate the ACA and to replace it with something (or anything) else has obscured some important facts. The ACA has dramatically increased medical insurance coverage for Americans. Furthermore, the talk of an ACA “death spiral” is just that–talk. In a recent editorial, the Washington Post remarked, “Though Republicans say they will change the bill to become more generous, they have nevertheless painted a fictional account of total policy disaster in order to make their plan look good.”
I urge you to think dispassionately about the merits of both the ACA and the ACHA, to weigh the impact that ACHA would have on the elderly, the poor, and on women, and to take a stand against it. I know that you will be facing significant pressure from the President and the Speaker of the House, but as a constituent and a voter, I ask that you vote “no” on the ACHA.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
André Lambelet
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