Ohio’s leading health care experts to hold tele-press conference on latest version of AHCA
Posted June 21, 2017 in Press Releases
COLUMBUS—Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has announced that he will release a “discussion draft” of the U.S. Senate’s health care bill tomorrow, with a vote likely the following week.
Senate leaders have used a closed-door process to modify the GOP’s long-promised legislation to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. While promising revisions to the House-passed bill, the Senate is expected to do little to address the damage the bill would do to Medicaid and Medicaid expansion, while making it appear that helpful compromises are being made.
With help from a new Policy Matters Ohio report on the American Health Care Act (AHCA), the state’s leading experts on health policy will explain how the latest proposal will affect Ohio’s children, hospitals, senior citizens, people with disabilities and the state economy.
WHEN:
Thursday, June 22, NOON
WHO:
Wendy Patton, Senior Project Director, Policy Matters Ohio
Policy Matters will detail its new study that examines how the AHCA's sharp cuts to federal funding for Medicaid will effect the one out of four Ohioans covered by the program. Structural changes to Medicaid under the AHCA, commonly called per-capita caps, would save the federal government money but force Ohio to seriously scale back health care or pick up the costs once covered by the federal government.
The study shows those hardest hit would be children, older Ohioans and people with disabilities.
Steve Wagner, Executive Director, UHCAN Ohio
He will discuss the impact the changes would have on individuals’ ability to afford health care. Higher costs are expected because of proposed decreases in subsidies and because uncertainty is causing some insurance companies to no longer provide coverage in Ohio.
He will make the case for an adequate number of committee hearings so doctors, patients, hospitals and other interested parties can be heard.
Jane Hash, Akron-area patient with a physical disability
Her care could be adversely impacted by Medicaid per-capita caps.
Dr. Matthew Noordsij-Jones, Community Health Center of Greater Dayton
Dr. N-J, as his patients call him, will explain what’s at stake for patients with opioid addiction and others served by community health centers.
Norm Wernet, President, Ohio Alliance for Retired Americans
He will provide examples of the financial impact the proposal would have on low- and middle-income senior citizens.
CALL IN NUMBER:
319-527-2788
Access Code: 296962
Download mediaadvisorypercapitatelepresser.pdf