Doctors and patient groups still aren't happy with the updated version of the Better Care Reconciliation Act that Senate Republicans released Thursday.
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'Unacceptable': Doctors and patient advocates slam the Senate Republicans' healthcare plan (again)
The groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics and American Hospital Association, are critics of Republican efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare.
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The groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Physicians, and American Hospital Association, are critical of Republican efforts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare.
Among the are that more funds will be set aside for the opioid crisis, and a provision that would allow people to pay for premiums using a health savings account. The update also includes an amendment from Sen. Ted Cruz and Sen. Mike Lee that critics say could make plans with adequate coverageunaffordable to those who have certain medical conditions.
The updated bill, like one passed by the House of Representatives, rolls back many of the provisions of Obamacare, including taking deep cuts from the Medicaid program.
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Heres what the groups thought of the bill
The American Academy of Pediatrics, which represents 66,000 pediatricians, opposed the BCRA the first time around, citing the changes to Medicaid.
The American Lung Association wasn't happy with the impact of the revised bill on preexisting conditions.
The American Heart Association, along with American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, American Diabetes Association, American Lung Association, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, March of Dimes, Muscular Dystrophy Association, National Health Council, National Organization for Rare Disorders, WomenHeart: The National Coalition for Women with Heart Disease came out with a joint statement against the revisions, specifically the Cruz amendment.
"Under the amendment, insurance companies would be allowed to charge higher premiums to people based on their health status—in addition to opting out of other patient protections in current law, such as the guarantee of essential health benefits and the prohibition on annual and lifetime coverage caps. Separating healthy enrollees from those with pre-existing conditions will also lead to severe instability of the insurance market. This is unacceptable for our patients."
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The American Hospital Association, which represents thousands of hospitals and health systems, still wasn't happy with the cuts to the Medicaid program.
"Unfortunately, in the latest update released today, the unacceptable flaws of BCRA remain unchanged, and there are no significant changes to the massive Medicaid reductions," AHA President Richard Pollack said in a statement on Thursday.
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