Menendez Visits NJ Nursing Home, Discusses Impact of Latest Senate GOP Health Bill on Seniors, the Disabled

New Senate Republican effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act will hurt those who need health care the most, cost everyone more for less coverage, kick millions off of insurance rolls

PASSAIC, N.J. - U.S. Senator Bob Menendez, a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee that oversees federal healthcare policy, met today with New Jersey nursing home patients and their families to discuss how the devastating funding cuts contained in the latest incarnation of the Senate Republican health bill will impact their quality of care.

"My family's story is not unlike others across New Jersey who have a sick or disabled loved one who requires long-term care," said Sen. Menendez, whose mother Evangelina died after a seven-year battle with Alzheimer's. "The reality is that nearly half of all Americans over the age of 65 will require long-term care at some point during their lives, and Medicaid is the primary payer for long-term care. Yet, Republicans in Washington remain as determined as ever not just to repeal the Affordable Care Act, but to eliminate the federal guarantee and end Medicaid as we know it."

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Senate Republicans yesterday renewed their effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by releasing an updated Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA) that would permanently erode the guarantee of coverage for essential health benefits and pre-existing conditions, slash Medicaid funding, and leave millions either without insurance or paying more for less coverage.

The latest version lowers the standard of coverage by allowing insurance companies to offer bare-bones policies without coverage for essential benefits and pre-existing conditions under the ACA, so long as they also offer an ACA plan. While it increases opioid funding, it represents an overall cut in available resources to tackle the national crisis and scourge of addiction. It also allows people to use heath savings accounts to pay premiums.

Sen. Menendez visited the Hamilton Plaza Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Passaic, where nearly 75% of residents are dependent on Medicaid, and was joined by several long-term care patients, their families, and representatives of the Alzheimer's Association, Health Care Association of New Jersey, and Genesis HealthCare Centers. More than half of all nursing home residents in New Jersey rely on Medicaid for their long-term health care needs.

"Medicaid is a critical payer for vulnerable populations, especially the frail elderly cared for in nursing facilities. The majority of older adults rely upon Medicaid to pay for long-term care services. The cuts proposed in the ACA repeal efforts are substantial and would take affect just as the number of baby boomers is cresting. Now is not the time to be talking about cuts to Medicaid," said Jon Dolan, President and CEO of the Health Care Association of New Jersey, a trade association representing over 300 New Jersey long term care providers.

While the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has yet to score this version, it found the earlier Senate Republican plan released last month would leave an estimated 22 million more Americans uninsured by 2026, 15 million by next year, and cause premiums to skyrocket for middle-class Americans nearing retirement. Written behind closed doors without any public scrutiny, the Republican plan also strips access to basic coverage, increases out-of-pocket expenses, and punishes those who need affordable healthcare the most by eviscerating Medicaid - disproportionately affecting seniors and the disabled in long-term care facilities.

"Alzheimer's is a national crisis," said Robyn Kohn Manager Programs Alzheimer's Association Greater N.J. "Today, there are more than 5.5 million Americans living with Alzheimer's disease and over 15 million providing care. Alzheimer's is the only leading cause of death in the U.S. that cannot be prevented, cured or slowed. It is important for our families on this journey to have access to quality and affordable care."

The senator has been traveling around the state in recent months discussing healthcare with constituents. Last week, Sen. Menendez convened a roundtable with leading African-American clergy to discuss the impact of the Republican health plan on their community, the same day he held a press conference with local and state leaders at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center to discuss the devastating impact the Senate Republican healthcare plan would also have on tackling New Jersey's opioid crisis and the delivery of care in the state.

Sen. Menendez has met in recent weeks with New Jerseyans who stand to lose their healthcare coverage under the GOP repeal bill. He heard directly from constituents last month at the Newark Community Health Center. Ahead of Mother's Day, the senator focused on the impact of the Republican healthcare plan on women. He met patients with preexisting conditions and their families during a recent visit to Hackensack University Medical Center. In March, the senator discussed the impact of Medicaid cuts with constituents and advocates at the Southern Jersey Family Medical Center (SJFMC), a federally qualified health center in Burlington City.

Read this original document at: https://www.menendez.senate.gov/news-and-events/press/menendez-visits-nj-nursing-home-discusses-impact-of-latest-senate-gop-health-bill-on-seniors-the-disabled