Group protests House GOP health care bill, Bucshon’s vote

May 09--Diyo Muyumba and his wife, Malissa, say they face an uncertain future when it comes to health insurance.

The two are members of Indivisible Indiana's Eighth District, a group which opposes the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Several of the group's members stood in front of the Terre Haute office of U.S. Rep. Larry Buchson on Monday morning for about two hours to protest the Republican's vote for the American Health Care Act.

"Well, my husband is a transplant recipient; 51/2 years ago he had a heart transplant," Malissa Muyumba said. "He is a walking pre-existing condition. We have a lot of fear about what is going to happen if this bill goes through."

Diyo Muyumba said he is on Medicaid and Medicare. Muyumba, 36, is a student at Indiana State University, studying music business. His wife is a lecturer in communications at ISU.

The House last week narrowly passed the American Health Care Act, a bill that next goes to the U.S. Senate.

Part of that bill will enable states to allow insurers to charge people with pre-existing conditions more for health insurance, a measure banned under Obamacare, if states meet certain conditions, such as setting up high-risk insurance pools.

While insurers cannot deny people coverage, insurers can hike premiums to an unaffordable amount, pricing them out of the market, according to a report from American Association of Retired Persons. Premiums for 60- to 64-year-olds would increase by an average of $3,200, amounting to average unsubsidized premiums of almost $18,000 per year, according to the AARP.

People who receive insurance through their employer would not be affected, unless a job is lost or a person moves to the individual insurance market for some other reason, according to AARP.

Diyo Muyumba was able to go onto his wife's health insurance without a pre-existing condition under Obamacare.

"We still lost our house and had to declare bankruptcy at a young age and that was under Obamacare. Now, with Trump, what is going to happen if they make pre-existing even more expensive? It is scary," Malissa Muyumba said. The couple has three children, ages 2 to 15.

Additionally, Diyo Muyumba recently discovered he has diabetes, something he is also fearful will have less coverage and more expense under the AHCA.

Nick McGee, deputy chief of staff and communications director for Bucshon, said as a physician, Bucshon campaigned on repealing and replacing Obamacare and was elected by a majority of voters to do that.

McGee referred to Bucshon's statement after voting for the AHCA last week.

"Obamacare is collapsing and leaving millions of Americans with nowhere to turn as their premiums skyrocket by 25 percent on average and insurers drop out of the market place. Families have been hit with higher costs and limited choice under this government-mandated, one-size-fits-all system. It would be irresponsible for us to not act to provide them relief," Bucshon said.

McGee said the AHCA legislation "provides states the flexibility to implement solutions that stabilize their health insurance markets according to the needs of their unique patient populations, while also maintaining critical patient protections like guaranteeing coverage for pre-existing conditions," McGee said.

"That includes specifically maintaining guaranteed issue of coverage, guaranteed renewability of coverage, and the prohibition on insurance companies denying coverage due to pre-existing conditions. It also prevents insurance companies from raising rates for patients on the individual market with pre-existing conditions if they have continuous coverage and adds layers of protections, including the $138 billion for risk-sharing programs, to help drive down costs for everyone," McGee said.

Standing near Muyumba, Robert Dodson, who attended with his wife, LaVonne Dodson, both 63, from Center Point, said he thinks "that with Republicans being the right-to-life party, it is hypocrisy, as this bill will write off so many people."

Robert Dodson said estimates are that millions will be left without health care insurance as a result of higher individual costs under the AHCA.

"We are concerned our health care costs will skyrocket, and we are near retirement and that is not something we really planned for, so we will really get hit by this," LaVonne Dodson said.

Jerome Cheatham of Terre Haute said he is concerned about an age tax.

"People who are older are going to have to pay more than people who are younger, simply because they are older. And that is at one of the most vulnerable points in our lives," Cheatham said.

McGee said the current law places an age tax on the young.

AARP fought to pass Obamacare, McGee said, and "is intent on protecting the law, despite the fact that it has caused rates to rise on every one and has limited patient choice. Specifically, AARP is fighting to keep in place an age tax that has priced younger, healthier adults out of the marketplace, which has destabilized the market and increased rates for everyone, including their membership. This legislation repeals that age tax, which will help drive down costs for all patients."

McGee added the AHCA bill ends government mandates "and eliminates over a $1 trillion in taxes levied by Obamacare. It also includes the most significant reform to the Medicaid program since it was created that strengthens the program for patients and protects the ability of states to implement innovative ideas like [Indiana's] HIP 2.0."

Reporter Howard Greninger can be reached 812-231-4204 or [email protected]. Follow on Twitter@TribStarHoward.

___

(c)2017 The Tribune-Star (Terre Haute, Ind.)

Visit The Tribune-Star (Terre Haute, Ind.) at tribstar.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.