Let’s say that some nightmare of a Republican “health care” bill manages to pass both houses of Congress and gets signed into law. Who will lose? Here are my predictions:
The elderly won’t lose. They vote. The AARP will lobby every last member of Congress and state legislature to make sure that any Medicaid cuts don’t hurt them or their loved ones who live in nursing homes.
Low-income children will lose. They don’t vote, and their parents may not as well.
The disabled will lose, especially in states that make it difficult for them to cast their ballots (limited absentee ballots, short early voting times, other devious disenfranchisement devices).
The mentally ill and opioid-addicted will also lose big time. The effect will be most pronounced in states that took advantage of the Medicaid expansion and have large populations in this demographic (e.g., Ohio, Kentucky).
Rural hospitals and the residents who rely on them will lose. These facilities are often lifelines for older and low-income patients. The loss of rural hospitals will have a ripple effect on the economies in the areas they serve. Nobody wants to move to an area that doesn’t have a hospital that offers basic services.
Urban hospitals that deal mostly with low-income patients will also lose. It was estimated that Harborview Medical Center in Seattle would lose about $600 million if the House of Representatives-passed bill became law. Other public hospitals such as Parkland in Dallas and Grady in Atlanta stand to lose 9-figure sums.
Is it any wonder that the Senate’s Better Health Care Act has such wide disapproval among the public, even in a Fox News poll? Even cockroaches and mosquitoes would outpoll this bill. However, this does not mean letting one’s guard down. Raise hell with your Representative or Senator during the July 4 recess. Keep emailing or phoning. Don’t let these so-called reforms become law.
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