Following a meeting in Washington, D.C. with the American Hospital Association AHA and her association colleagues across the country , MHA President & CEO Lynn Nicholas, FACHE, along with MHA V.P. of Government Advocacy Mike Sroczynski engaged in a series of meetings with some members of the state’s congressional delegation, discussing, among other topics, the incoming Trump Administration’s efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.
In a letter that Nicholas delivered to the delegation (see below), MHA states unequivocally, “On behalf of our member hospitals and health systems, the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association opposes the repeal of the Affordable Care Act.”
Senate Republicans on Thursday passed (51-48) a budget blueprint that sets the stage for a special reconciliation bill – the process through which key parts of the ACA can be repealed without the threat of a filibuster. President-elect Trump said this week he wants repeal-and-replace legislation passed “essentially simultaneously.” But with no firm replacement ideas currently in place, GOP senators said on Wednesday that they will probably need more time than the end-of-January deadline for action contained in the budget blueprint they passed.
MHA’s letter, citing the experience of the Bay State under its own Chapter 58 reform law, which served as a model for the ACA, outlined reasons why the ACA should not be gutted.
Nicholas wrote, “With 10 years now passed since then-Governor Mitt Romney signed our initial health reform initiative into law, we can proudly say that the commonwealth is better off than where we stood in 2005. We know we share this sentiment with other Massachusetts healthcare providers, insurers, the employer community, government leaders, and, most importantly, Massachusetts consumers and families. With time, support, and improvements to the ACA, we know the country will value and appreciate the full benefits of ensuring access to affordable health coverage to all citizens as well as creating an environment for our health system to better manage its resources and deliver high-quality care.”
MHA’s letter notes that ACA-specific initiatives in the form of federal tax credits and co-payment subsidies have allowed Massachusetts lower- and middle-income residents to shop for affordable health coverage. “And while there are many statistics that highlight the achievements made in expanding coverage, there has been a tremendous positive effect on individual lives as result of better access to care,” Nicholas wrote. “Researchers have found improvements in physical health, mental health, functional limitations, joint disorders, and body mass index for those in Massachusetts, especially for those with low incomes, minorities, near-elderly adults, and women.”
Saying repeal of the ACA would “turn back the clock here in Massachusetts,” Nicholas wrote, “Attempting to revert back to our Massachusetts coverage programs that existed before the ACA would not be accomplished easily and would involve significant challenges related to the federal support needed for the current level of coverage as well as hospital uncompensated care for uninsured residents.”
The Massachusetts delegation has been staunch supporters of the benefits of the ACA, with Senator Elizabeth Warren saying this week on the Senate floor, “Repeal and run is for cowards.”