Reports show that Indiana loses funding in latest GOP health care overhaul
INDIANAPOLIS – The two front-runners for the GOP Senate nomination have yet to weigh in on Senate Republicans’ latest attempt to overhaul the nation’s health care system. Congressmen Messer’s and Rokita’s silence comes even though they would have to vote on the new bill – which would have disastrous effects in Indiana and across the country – before it became law.
Even as the Graham-Cassidy health care proposal (G-C) gains momentum among Senate Republicans, little is known about the bill other than that the caucus is desperate to pass it. It’s the latest GOP health care overhaul to fail to go through regular order, with the bill unlikely to receive a full CBO score before it gets a vote and scheduled to have only one hastily put-together hearing.
What is known about the bill so far is disheartening. According to an analysis by the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) on Monday, insurance premiums for Americans could rise as much as 20% and 15 million Americans stand to lose health care coverage next year if the bill is passed. G-C contains many of the same provisions as earlier GOP health care overhaul attempts, including potentially allowing insurers to discriminate against those with pre-existing conditions.
The bill’s damage is even worse for Hoosiers. It allocates money for Medicaid and Affordable Care Act subsidies in block grants according to a new formula on a state-by-state basis. Monday’s CBPP report indicates that Indiana is one of 36 states that would lose federal funding under G-C. And according to a new report from the consultancy Avalere, Indiana would lose $7 billion between 2020 and 2027, and $74 billion between 2020 and 2036, if the law passed.
Despite the bill’s consequences, Indiana Republicans like Congressman Messer and Congressman Rokita have largely been quiet on the new proposal. Their silence is even more deafening considering that the two men would still have to vote on the proposal and pass it out of the House before it became law.
“While hundreds of thousands of Hoosiers once again wonder if Washington Republicans will take away their health care, Congressmen Messer and Rokita remain silent,” said Will Baskin-Gerwitz, Senior Media Strategist for the Indiana Democratic Party. “Their fellow Republicans are once again toying with the health care of Hoosiers across the state because they’re desperate to pass any bill they can by the end of the month. The last thing Indiana needs is someone like Congressman Messer or Congressman Rokita joining them in the Senate.”
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