news
Statement of ACAP in Opposition to the American Health Care Act
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 21, 2017
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Jeff Van Ness, (202) 204-7515
STATEMENT OF ACAP IN OPPOSITION TO THE AMERICAN HEALTH CARE ACT
WASHINGTON—Margaret A. Murray, CEO of the Association for Community Affiliated Plans (ACAP), made the following statement on the American Health Care Act:
“President Trump and Congress have before them an abundance of opportunities to improve the American health care system. The American Health Care Act is not one of them.
“Despite ACAP’s good-faith efforts to provide constructive input on the American Health Care Act, ACAP has concluded that the AHCA poses a fundamental threat to the health care of millions of Americans. We are left with little choice but to oppose this bill.
“In an effort to engage in constructive dialogue, ACAP sent a letter to leaders in both houses of Congress outlining our concerns with the AHCA. Safety Net Health Plans cover nearly half of all people in Medicaid managed care and are dedicated to delivering high-quality, cost-effective coordinated care services to low-income and medically vulnerable populations.
“But we do not believe that a bill that results in the loss of health coverage for up to 24 million Americans improves the health care system. This loss of coverage—largely concentrated among people with low incomes—strikes at the heart of the values of our member Safety Net Health Plans.
“ACAP calls on the Senate to disregard the AHCA and begin this effort anew with a clean sheet of paper. ACAP is eager to engage in productive conversations around reforming the health care system and are not averse to discussing ideas to improve programs in which we operate. While the House has demonstrated its unwillingness to engage in such a dialogue with industry stakeholders, we urge the Senate to take a different approach and seek common ground that improves the health care system for all Americans.”
About ACAP
ACAP represents 59 nonprofit Safety Net Health Plans in 28 states, which collectively serve more than seventeen million people enrolled in Medicaid, Medicare, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and other public health programs. For more information, visit www.communityplans.net.
# # #