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May 5, 2017

Poliquin explains vote, but Collins has questions about AHCA bill

Photo / Mainebiz U.S. Rep. Bruce Poliquin, R-Maine, is one of 217 Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives who voted for the American Health Care Act. The narrow 217-213 approval now sends the AHCA bill to the U.S. Senate, where U.S. Sen. Susan Collins is likely to be a key player, having submitted an alternative plan for replacing the Affordable Care Act.

The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday voted 217-213 to pass a bill that rolls back major provisions of the Affordable Care Act, sending the measure to an uncertain fate in the Senate. The American Health Care Act’s passage in the House comes more than a month after Republicans’ first attempt to bring it to a vote on the House floor, an effort stymied at the last minute when the party came up short of the 216 votes it needed.

Maine’s 2nd District Rep. Bruce Poliquin was among the Republicans voting for the AHCA bill, while 1st District Rep. Chellie Pingree, D-Maine, voted against it. Poliquin issued a statement on his website explaining why he voted for the GOP’s AHCA bill:

“With bipartisan Maine reforms at the center of this new bill, and with Maine having ensured essential health benefits and pre-existing conditions are covered under state laws, I have decided to vote yes on this health care legislation.

“Under Maine's 2011 bipartisan reforms, those with pre-existing conditions were covered at the same cost as everyone else, with guaranteed coverage. Maine also ensures EHB’s, essential benefits, are always in place through a series of laws confirmed by Maine's Superintendent of Insurance. I am confident that even if Maine state government sought a waiver not only would Maine people have essential benefits but pre-existing conditions would fully covered. Our state has already proven it — and our state has proven it can dramatically lower some health insurance premiums and stem the tide of rising costs with its reforms. It has worked in Maine.

“I expect the U.S. Senate to make further changes to this bill as it moves on from the House and I welcome those changes. I hope it comes back stronger and better. This simply moves this issue onto the Senate.”

Poliquin concluded: “ObamaCare is failing, and Congress must act to rescue American families.”

The American Health Care Act dismantles key ACA provisions such as essential health benefits and pre-existing condition protections. The vote was held without a Congressional Budget Office score on the cost and impact of the revised version of the American Health Care Act. The CBO's analysis of the original AHCA draft found an additional 24 million Americans would be uninsured in the next 10 years while also saving $337 billion in federal budget deficits, according to Healthcare Dive.com

U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, who is cosponsoring with U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., a separate ACA replacement plan in the Senate called the Patient Freedom Act of 2017, issued this statement after Thursday’s House vote: “Although I will carefully review the legislation the House passed today, at this point, there seem to be more questions than answers about its consequences.”

Collins has six key questions

Collins listed these six key questions that would guide her evaluation of the House plan:

  • What will be the effect on the people of Maine, including those who rely on the ACA for their health insurance coverage?
  • What will Mainers pay compared to their costs under the ACA? I am particularly concerned about the effect on low-income older individuals living in rural areas. The House bill's tax credits do not adequately take into account income levels, or geographical differences in health care costs.
  • Exactly how does the bill treat individuals with pre-existing conditions? There should be no barrier to coverage for pre-existing conditions as long as people enroll and pay their premiums.
  • Will certain vital services for special education students be affected by the changes the bill makes to Medicaid?
  • How will the changes in Medicaid affect individuals and families, states, hospitals and other health care providers?
  • Finally, will the bill make insurance more affordable and increase access to quality care?

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