The AHCA has been resurrected. But this time it looks a little different. Republicans are hoping the MacArthur amendment will bring them one step closer to repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act.
The amendment was negotiated by Rep. Tom MacArthur, a co-chair of the Tuesday Group, and Rep. Mark Meadows, chairman of the Freedom Caucus, according to CNN.
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Through the MacArthur amendment, states would be allowed to request waivers to certain ACA requirements, including certain protections for those with pre-existing conditions.
MacArthur told CNN he hopes the revised bill will work to protect everyone:
We need to protect the most vulnerable people in the current plan. These are people with pre-existing conditions. We want to make sure they are protected. Secondly, we have to give the states flexibility to bring premiums down for everyone else.
Despite MacArthur’s comments, the amendment has left some groups — and even some House Republicans — dissatisfied, primarily because of its impact on individuals with pre-existing conditions.
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JDRF, an organization dedicated to type 1 diabetes research, issued a statement claiming it is “deeply concerned” with the amendment and staunchly opposes its passage.
Cynthia Rice, JDRF’s senior vice president for advocacy and policy, elaborated on this opposition. Via email, she told MedCity:
The amendment could jeopardize access to essential insurance coverage for people with T1D by significantly raising insurance costs. States would have the option to allow insurance companies to charge higher premiums based on pre-existing conditions, making insurance unaffordable and greatly increasing risks of diabetes-related medical emergencies and complications. The AHCA also contains deep cuts to Medicaid that would affect the ability of lower income people with T1D to access and afford care.
JDRF wants to guarantee people with type 1 diabetes have access to the care they need at affordable prices, Rice added. “We are encouraging the entire T1D community to reach out to their members of Congress to explain what this issue means to them personally and the struggles that they faced before the protections existed,” she wrote.
And it’s not only certain groups objecting to the new AHCA. Even a few House Republicans are giving it a thumbs down.
On Monday, Rep. Billy Long said he didn’t support the bill. “I have always stated that one of the few good things about ObamaCare is that people with pre-existing conditions would be covered,” he said in a statement, according to The Hill. “The MacArthur amendment strips away any guarantee that pre-existing conditions would be covered and affordable.”
On Tuesday, another GOPer, Rep. Fred Upton, criticized the amendment. “I’ve supported the practice of not allowing pre-existing illnesses to be discriminated against from the very get-go,” he said, according to The Hill. “This amendment torpedoes that, and I told leadership I cannot support this bill with this provision in it.”
With such resistance, it’s unlikely that this revised bill will pass with flying colors.
