On Thursday, the U.S. House narrowly voted to repeal and replace former President Barack Obama’s health care law.
Republicans got the bill, which had the support of President Donald Trump, across the finish line by a 217-213 margin. No Democrats voted for the bill while only 20 Republicans did. Party lines mostly held in Florida but U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., who announced earlier in the week that this is her last term in Congress, broke ranks and voted against the proposal.
The Trump administration and the GOP leadership in Congress had been trying to get the bill passed in recent months. Earlier efforts failed as Republicans the House Freedom Caucus voted against the GOP leadership. This latest effort reeled in the House Freedom Caucus but could be too conservative to pass in the U.S. Senate.
U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., weighed in on Thursday after the bill passed.
“Whether we like it or not, Obamacare is collapsing and on its way out,” he said. “Already, in two of the three counties I represent, the Affordable Care Act only offers one provider, with no choice or competition for consumers. In 2016, Miami-Dade County had six providers and next year, will drop to three providers. Collier and Hendry Counties are worse off; they, like forty-five other Florida counties, are left with just one provider. Knowing the people I represent could very well lose their coverage, just like Iowa residents did yesterday when their state marketplace collapsed, is disturbing. It would be irresponsible for Congress not to act in order to prevent this from happening.
“While this bill may be far from perfect, I am glad I was able to work with my colleagues to get significant improvements to the American Health Care Act, including $8 billion dedicated to reduce premiums and out-of-pocket costs for patients with pre-existing conditions, in addition to the $130 billion available to states to cut out-of-pocket costs like premiums and deductibles; protecting Medicaid by reforming it to make sure it is on a sustainable path; an additional $15 billion for maternity coverage and newborn care, and mental health and substance abuse disorders,” Diaz-Balart added. “I will work with our colleagues in the Senate as they consider the legislation. I will also continue working with HHS Secretary Price and members of the administration to provide relief from the disastrous effects of Obamacare and ensure the AHCA truly serves the needs of my constituents and the American people.”
Freshman U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., also cheered the passage of the bill.
“The Affordable Care Act has failed its promises to lower costs, to let people keep their doctor and to let people keep their plans,” Mast said. “As a result, Martin and St. Lucie counties have only one insurer on the individual exchange. Premiums and deductibles have become beyond unaffordable for people throughout our community, and I’ve heard from countless families just like Debbie’s from Jensen Beach who saw their premiums double and their deductible balloon to more than $12,000 under the Affordable Care Act.
“The American Health Care Act delivers relief for families by ensuring that you get to choose your coverage and the federal government can’t tax you based on what you think is best for your family,” Mast added. “The bill returns control of health care from Washington back to you and restores access to quality, affordable options that are tailored to your individual needs. The bill does all this while also increasing Medicaid funding for Florida by $400 to $500 million dollars that will go to help the most at-risk people in our community get potentially life-saving coverage and treatment.
“Like millions of Americans, I have a pre-existing condition,” Mast said in closing. “As a result of my time in the military, I lost both of my legs and sustained other internal injuries that continue to impact my health care to this day. I care about this issue. I believe it is my responsibility to be the staunchest advocate for people out there that also have pre-existing conditions, and I will be. This bill mandates that people cannot be denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions and allocates almost $140 billion in additional funding that will subsidize coverage for people with pre-existing conditions to ensure their costs are low, while driving down costs for everybody else as well. Those claiming otherwise are the same people who said ‘if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor’ and they’re putting partisan politics ahead of the people in our community.”
Ros-Lehtinen stood by her opposition to the proposal.
“Despite amendments and changes, the AHCA still fails to provide for the needs of my constituents,” she said. “I will not support a bill that has the potential to severely harm the health and lives of people in South Florida and therefore I remain steadfast in my commitment to vote NO on the AHCA. The recent addition of further funds to high risk pools continues to be inadequate and fails to cover those who need it most. If enacted, the older and poorer South Floridians will be worse off and will find it more difficult to obtain quality healthcare. My constituents should not have to take a step backward in their ability to obtain treatment for any illness.”
Democrats lined up to vote against the proposal with U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., calling it “Trumpcare.”
“The Trumpcare 2.0 bill that Republicans passed today is one of the most deceptive and destructive pieces of legislation to ever emerge from my time in the U.S. House of Representatives,” she said. “Trumpcare 2.0 would provide less care with much higher costs. It would make tens of millions of Americans sicker and poorer, and unravel much of the progress Democrats made in creating a more affordable, equitable and compassionate health system. And, shamefully, Republicans did it with demonstrably false claims about who this bill would hurt, and without any hearings or an official nonpartisan estimate of its fiscal impact.
“What we do know is this: 24 million more people would be left without coverage and millions more Americans with preexisting conditions would lose their coverage and face skyrocketing costs. Trumpcare 2.0 would create an ‘age tax’ for older adults (50-64), and open up anyone with an employer plan to annual and lifetime coverage caps -- all while funneling as much as $900 million in tax breaks to the wealthy,” Wasserman Schultz continued. “This rushed, ill-conceived and dangerous proposal by Donald Trump and Paul Ryan has been panned by nearly every patient and medical advocacy group in America, including AARP, the American Medical Association, the American Nurses Association, the Children’s Hospital Association, Planned Parenthood, the American Cancer Society and an array of religious groups.
“Put simply, almost no one would be spared from the harm this bill inflicts,” she concluded. “As this painful, costly truth becomes clearer, Senators would be wise to let this Trumpcare 2.0 bill die a natural death, and start over with an open, honest attempt to improve the Affordable Care Act to provide affordable quality healthcare to even more Americans.”
