Dingell, health care providers stress importance of Affordable Care Act at Beaumont Hospital

U.S. Congresswoman Debbie Dingell (MI-12) has joined doctors, nurses, patients and administrators at Beaumont Hospital in Dearborn to discuss the importance of protecting the Affordable Care Act and the impact ACA repeal would have on hospitals and patients. Since the ACA was enacted in 2010, the uninsured rate in Michigan has fallen by more than 50 percent, with 695,000 residents gaining coverage. As Congress debates changes to the law, Dingell has been a leader in working to ensure every American has access to affordable, quality health care and that we do not reverse gains in access to coverage and care.

"The Affordable Care Act has allowed hundreds of thousands of hardworking Michiganders to gain health insurance for the first time and has benefited millions more, regardless of whether you get coverage through your employer or buy a plan through the Marketplace," said Dingell.

"Thanks to the ACA, all Michigan families have access to free preventative services like flu shots and cancer screenings, and people can no longer be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition. Anyone proposing to repeal this law with nothing in its place should take a good hard look at what that would mean for families and communities, and that starts right here with facilities like Beaumont Hospital. This is about real people not politics and helping to keep our families healthy at an affordable cost. We cannot take that care away from them."

"As Congress considers changes to our healthcare system, it is critical to hospitals like Beaumont that we build off the gains made by the Affordable Care Act instead of repealing the law with nothing in its place. We're thankful to Congresswoman Dingell for convening this meeting today to listen to our concerns," said Dr. Malcom Henoch, senior vice president and associate chief medical officer for acute care at Beaumont Health.

"At Beaumont, we believe that the most important aspect of delivering care is ensuring our patients have full and robust access to care and health insurance. Any changes should protect the more than 600,000 Michiganders who now receive insurance through the Healthy Michigan plan and the 340,000 Michiganders who have care through the marketplace. The ACA is not perfect but it has provided access to care where there was none before."

Dingell and Dr. Henoch were joined during the discussion by Kelly Smith, president of Beaumont Hospital, Dearborn; John Kerndl, executive vice president and CFO at Beaumont Health; Mary Zatina, vice president for government relations and community affairs at Beaumont Health; as well as doctors, nurses and clinicians who shared how repeal of the Affordable Care Act would impact their patients.

Dr. Lakshmi Swaminathan said, "Because of the ACA, patients are able to get coverage for medication, some of which can be lifesaving, and can prevent readmissions to the hospital. These can include medications that are used to keep arteries open after heart attacks, and help regulate diabetes."

Studies have indicated that ACA repeal would result in 30 million individuals losing their coverage and cause health care providers, including hospitals and doctors, to see a dramatic surge in uncompensated care -$88 billion in 2019 alone and $1.1 trillion over ten years - which would be crippling to hospitals across the country.

Additionally, in Michigan:

* 695,000 people have gained health coverage since the ACA was implemented.

* 4.5 million people in Michigan now have health plans that cover preventive services without any copays, coinsurance or deductibles.

* Roughly 1.6 million people in Michigan have pre-existing health conditions, and could have their coverage rescinded if the ACA is repealed.

* 212,000 Michigan seniors have saved an average of $1,100 on their prescription drug coverage thanks to closing the "donut hole" gap in coverage.

* Michigan received $3.08 billion in federal Medicaid dollars to implement the Healthy Michigan plan. This revenue could be lost if the ACA is repealed.

* A recent University of Michigan study found that Medicaid expansion in Michigan has boosted our economy and our budget and will continue to do so for the next five years. According to the study, the Healthy Michigan plan has generated more than 30,000 new jobs each year - one-third of them being in healthcare and 85 percent in the private sector. These jobs resulted in approximately $2.3 billion more in personal spending power for Michigan residents.