This was published as a Letter to the Editor of the KC Star on May 20, 2017 (http://www.kansascity.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article151640477.html)
Rep. Kevin Yoder used banal clichés such as “patients over
bureaucrats” to defend his vote for the American Health Care Act in his
May 10 commentary. (13A, “American Health Care Act will lower costs,
offer choice”). But this bill would take coverage from Kansans and
strain the state budget.
The AHCA would take nearly
$900 billion from Medicaid over the next decade to pay for tax cuts for
the wealthy. Medicaid covers mostly children, seniors and individuals
with disabilities. They would be hurt when the state is inevitably
forced to make do with less.
The AHCA would remove the
guarantee of coverage for those with pre-existing conditions and allow
states to experiment with other approaches. But the bill does not
adequately fund these alternatives. Some, such as high-risk pools, have
been tried in the past and failed.
There’s a reason no prominent health provider or patient organizations
support this legislation. It hurts patients, providers and communities
and takes us backward. Kansans are counting on Pat Roberts and Jerry
Moran and their colleagues in the Senate to do better.
