Health Care

Health care is a bipartisan issue and it is time we started treating it as one. Hopefully we continue to see Washington lawmakers respond to the drumbeat of my fellow governors nationwide urging Congress to fix what’s not working with our health care system.

Millions of Pennsylvanians have benefitted from the ACA – from bans on annual and lifetime limits to expanded access to free preventive care. For example, more than 5 million people in our state have preexisting conditions – more than half under the age 65 – and can no longer be denied coverage. Since I expanded Medicaid, 700,000 Pennsylvanians gained coverage. More people are getting care and fewer people are worried about health costs and debt.

Republican efforts to repeal the ACA have changed the debate — the majority of Americans do not want the ACA repealed and they believe their government has a responsibility to guarantee access to care. We now have the opportunity to build on the ACA and provide universal, affordable care for all.

This month, the House passed the American Health Care Act, Republicans’ biggest step yet toward their long-promised Obamacare “repeal and replace.” But with the legislation facing an uphill battle in the Senate, the journey that is America’s health care discussion is far from over.

A responsible repeal and replacement of Obamacare must balance cost and coverage. Cutting coverage won’t save money, since uninsured people will return to emergency rooms for care — and walk away from unpaid bills.

This month, the House passed the American Health Care Act of 2017. As Congress considers next steps in passing critical health care legislation, we encourage both houses of Congress to consult the nation’s governors.

Policymakers, providers, payers and patients all agree – a reformed health care system must be affordable and sustainable. Getting there requires bipartisan cooperation, which may seem difficult in today’s Washington, but we believe common ground can be found in several areas.

As the Senate considers the bill, the Congressional Budget Office’s score will be crucial in understanding the American Health Care Act’s likely impact on health costs and coverage.

Before Republicans voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, they added an 11th-hour amendment to provide $8 billion for high-risk pools.

In Congress, we are responsible for sending our service members to the battlefield. We owe our veterans nothing less than to ensure their well-being when they return home.

Pioneer health systems (e.g., Henry Ford Health System) demonstrate that when a health system embraces suicide prevention as a core responsibility of care, lives are saved.

Hospitals, doctors, and nonprofit insurers have criticized the AHCA, especially since the House shut most of them out of the process. But the GOP bill has garnered tacit support from pharma, medical device companies and big insurers that would benefit from repealed taxes.

Veterans have made it clear they prefer to get their health care from the VA, but the VA has a lot of work to do to ensure timely, high-quality service.

While health care reform focuses primarily on access and cost, less than 5% of the population consumes over 60% of federal costs. By focusing on the nine million dually eligible (elderly receiving both Medicare and Medicaid) with complex needs, we would expand resources to provide better care for all.

The American Health Care Act (AHCA) strips close to $1 trillion in funding for health care coverage in order to pay for hundreds of billions of dollars in tax breaks to the wealthiest Americans, insurance companies and drug manufacturers. It guts Medicaid, robs from Medicare and will leave tens of millions of people without desperately needed coverage.

As Chairman of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, one of my highest priorities is ensuring that veterans have timely access to the quality care. Nearly three years ago when committee oversight and subsequent media reports uncovered that veterans around the country were waiting for care, Congress established the Choice Program to allow veterans who meet certain qualifications to seek care from providers outside VA.

As the Senate takes up health care reform, our focus will be on increasing access and addressing rising costs by allowing states more flexibility and expanding consumer choice. To make that happen, we need a repeal of the expensive mandates and regulations that continue to make care unaffordable. Put patients back in control by expanding Health Savings Accounts. Finally, admit that Medicaid is a disaster; freeze expansion and allow states control of funding and program design.