Media Contact
Joey Johnson
National President
American Medical Student Association
Email: [email protected]
STERLING, Virginia – July 14, 2017 – Yesterday, the Senate GOP released yet another version of the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA), but once again, the bill fails to deliver. Senators continue to debate dollar figures rather than making a genuine commitment to improving health care for all Americans.
With the Senate recess now delayed until mid-August in an effort to push the BCRA through at any cost, this latest revision makes it clear that fiscal concerns and tax credits are being prioritized over the health and lives of millions. Americans will bear the consequences, a reality that remains unchanged even in the absence of a new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) score.
The bill maintains deep Medicaid cuts and fundamentally alters its payment structure to states, leaving low-income and disadvantaged Americans without affordable health coverage. Many will be forced into the private insurance market, where inadequate subsidies will make premiums and deductibles unaffordable. AMSA strongly opposes the creation of high-deductible health plans that shift the financial burden onto consumers, many of whom simply cannot afford such costs.
An amendment introduced by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) proposes a two-tiered system for the individual insurance market. Under this provision, insurers would still be required to offer comprehensive ACA-compliant plans, which would primarily attract sicker individuals, while simultaneously being allowed to sell cheaper, stripped-down plans that do not adhere to ACA essential health benefits. These minimal plans, which do not provide true insurance coverage, would lure healthier Americans while pushing those with pre-existing conditions into expensive, high-risk insurance pools. This would return the U.S. health care system to a time when millions of sick Americans faced financial ruin or were entirely priced out of care.
AMSA believes that the current focus on cost-cutting and profit maximization within the U.S. health insurance industry has left millions of Americans both uninsured and underinsured, with the most severe consequences falling on our most vulnerable communities.
High-quality, comprehensive health care must be recognized and protected as a basic human right. Investing in accessible, affordable care for all is an investment in national well-being and the country’s ability to respond to public health emergencies. In the absence of a single-payer system, Medicaid expansion under the ACA remains an essential step toward increasing access to health care and insurance coverage.
AMSA supports health care reform that guarantees comprehensive coverage for all individuals in the United States. This includes primary, acute, and preventive care, reproductive health services for both men and women, and mental health and substance abuse treatment. The Senate must move beyond political maneuvering and recognize that health care is a fundamental right, not a privilege reserved for those who can afford it.
By: Daniel H. Gouger, M.D., AMSA Education & Advocacy Fellow
About the American Medical Student Association:
AMSA is the oldest and largest independent association of physicians-in-training in the United States. Founded in 1950, AMSA is a student-governed, non-profit organization committed to representing the concerns of physicians-in-training. To learn more about AMSA, our strategic priorities, or joining the organization, please visit us online.
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