Hassan, Shaheen criticize GOP for moving forward in attempt to repeal Obamacare

July 26--Hassan, Shaheen criticize GOP for moving forward in attempt to repeal Obamacare

By DAN TUOHY

New Hampshire Union Leader

July 25. 2017 8:51PM

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New Hampshire's U.S. senators called Tuesday a dark day for those who need health care after the Senate proceeded with debate on Republican proposals to scuttle Obamacare.

U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-NH, said Senate Republicans are preparing to strip away health insurance for millions of people, and hurt efforts to combat the heroin, fentanyl and opioid crisis.

"By moving forward with plans to pass a Trumpcare bill, Senate Republicans are setting our nation down a dangerous path toward raising health care costs for worse coverage," Hassan said in a statement. "I hope that before we reach the end of this process my Republican colleagues will turn back from their partisan approach and recognize the need to work together to build on and improve the Affordable Care Act to lower costs and improve care for people across New Hampshire and America."

Hassan and U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH, have held several events in New Hampshire to draw attention to the impending vote, which at one point seemed destined to fail. Two Republican U.S. senators, Alaska's Lisa Murkowski and Maine's Susan Collins, did oppose the motion to proceed with debate.

Shaheen criticized Republican leaders for moving forward on legislation to repeal Obamacare without public input.

"Republican leadership have not held any hearings on their healthcare repeal effort, nor have they even disclosed the final legislation that the Senate will be voting on in the coming days," Shaheen said in a statement. "This is deeply disturbing and not how a legislative body should function, particularly when it comes to legislation that impacts every American."

Citing Sen. John McCain's remarks on the Senate floor, Shaheen said the Senate must work in an open and transparent process when it comes to something so important.

U.S. Reps. Ann McLane Kuster, D-NH, and Carol Shea-Porter, D-NH, have argued that Obamacare needs to be fixed, not replaced. They point to the value of expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, particularly in fighting the opioid and heroin epidemic.

Brendan Williams, president and chief executive officer of the New Hampshire Health Care Association, said the Senate's vote to begin debate was "the worst day for the Medicaid safety net since 1965."

Williams said the GOP bill, the "Better Care Reconciliation Act," would also erode Medicaid for seniors and those living with disabilities.

Kuster said the GOP bills would be a disaster for New Hampshire.

"They would raise costs and threaten access to care for thousands of Granite Staters, strip protections for people with pre-existing conditions, and jeopardize our response to the opioid epidemic," she said.

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Politics Obamacare

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