National Council for Behavioral Health Issues Statement on Senate Health Care Act
Until today, it was hard to imagine a bill could be worse for Americans living with addiction and mental illness than the
The
Instead of "repeal and replace," it is "wreck and wreak havoc."
The bill's supporters have said that their newest proposal would "soften the landing" for Americans who will lose Medicaid coverage. In reality, the landing would be catastrophic. There is nothing "soft" about ripping health care away from the 11 million Americans enrolled in the Medicaid expansion. The new bill also shifts hundreds of billions of dollars in costs to states--leaving them with a Sophie's Choice of which populations and benefits to cut in order to close their budget shortfalls. Seniors? Pregnant woman? People with a preexisting condition, like cancer or a heart attack? Who do we help, and who do we turn our back on?
The
The bill's feeble attempts to bolster psychiatric treatment while stripping health care away from millions are paltry at best. While the outdated law prohibiting Medicaid funding for services provided in residential or inpatient treatment settings deserves to be changed, the small tweak to this payment exclusion that is included in the bill will do nothing to mitigate the loss of Medicaid coverage for millions--nor does it provide for important outpatient care serving people in their own communities. The proposed one-year grant fund for mental health and addiction treatment in 2018 doesn't come close to meeting the real--and growing--need for care. Grants are not a substitute for health coverage. We don't rely on grants for the treatment of heart disease or cancer, and addiction and mental health should be no different.
This is not our vision for America. Slashing billions of Medicaid dollars from state budgets would cost hundreds of thousands of lives.
Consumers Union Statement on Senate ACA Repeal Bill
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