Physicians, Patient Advocates, Insurers, and Hospitals Agree: Graham-Cassidy Would Have Devastating Implications for Millions of Americans in Maine and Across our Country

Washington, D.C. - More than 300 health care advocacy groups, including several representing Mainers, oppose the Graham-Cassidy health care proposal. This astonishing number of advocacy groups representing physicians, patients, insurance providers, and hospitals highlighted a wide range of reasons for their opposition to the proposal, including:

* The American Medical Association wrote that the Graham-Cassidy proposal "would result in millions of Americans losing their health insurance coverage, destabilize health insurance markets, and decrease access to affordable coverage and care."

* The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association opposed the Graham-Cassidy proposal because it "contains provisions that would allow states to waive key consumer protections, as well as undermine safeguards for those with pre-existing medical conditions."

* The Alzheimer's Association wrote that "The proposed changes to Medicaid outlined in the Graham-Cassidy Amendment could have a drastic impact on [the more than 5 million Americans currently living with Alzheimer's] given that more than 1 in 4 seniors with Alzheimer's and other dementias are currently on Medicaid."

* The American Cancer Society urged Senators to vote "no" on the Graham-Cassidy proposal, citing that the bill could cause insurers to: "Charge cancer patients and survivors far higher rates to make coverage unaffordable; eliminate coverage for cancer care in their health plans; and re-institute arbitrary caps on annual and lifetime coverage."

According to Avalere, a respected firm that specializes in health care policy, Maine would ultimately lose $1 billion between 2020 and 2026, $2 billion by 2027, and $17 billion by 2037. Huge Medicaid cuts down the road more than offset any short-term influx of money under this "give with one hand, take with the other" approach.

The Maine Hospital Association has also cited analysis that shows Maine could lose up to $1 billion over the next decade. This would be a serious loss to Maine where the hospitals, with the exception of the largest hospital in Portland, lost $50 million dollars in the aggregate last year. Some of our hospitals could not survive cuts of this magnitude, thus depriving local residents of easily accessible health care.

Groups in opposition to Graham-Cassidy include:

Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America

AARP

Adult Congenital Heart Association

Alpha-1 Foundation

ALS Association

Alzheimer's Association

Alzheimer's Impact Movement

Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics

America's Essential Hospitals

America's Health Insurance Plans

American Academy of Actuaries

American Academy of Family Physicians

American Academy of Pediatrics

American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network

American College of Cardiology

American College of Emergency Physicians

American College of Physicians

American College of Preventive Medicine

American College of Rheumatology

American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

American College of Surgeons

American Diabetes Association

American Foundation for the Blind

American Health Care Association

American Heart Association

American Hospital Association

American Liver Foundation

American Lung Association

American Medical Association

American Nurses Association

American Occupational Therapy Association

Academy on Violence and Abuse

American Osteopathic Association

American Psychiatric Association

American Psychological Association

American Public Health Association

American Society for Addiction Medicine

American Society for Radiation Oncology

American Society of Clinical Oncology

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association

Amputee Coalition

Arthritis Foundation

Association for Community Affiliated Plans

Association of American Medical Colleges

Association of Oncology Social Work

Association of Public Health Associations

Association of University Centers on Disabilities

Autism Society

Autism Speaks

Autistic Self Advocacy Network

Big Cities Health Coalition

Blue Cross Blue Shield Association

Cancer Support Community

CancerCare

Catholic Health Association

Center for Medicare Advocacy

Children's Hospital Association

Coalition to Stop Opioid Overdose

Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities

COPD Foundation

Crohn's & Colitis Foundation

Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

Deadliest Cancers Coalition

Disability Rights Legal Center

Emergency Department Practice Management Association

Envision Healthcare

Epilepsy Foundation

Families USA

Family Voices

Federation of American Hospitals

Fight Colorectal Cancer

Genesis Healthcare

HIV Medicine Association

Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association

Infectious Diseases Society of America

International Myeloma Foundation

JDRF

Kaiser Permanente

LeadingAge

Living Beyond Breast Cancer

Lung Cancer Alliance

Lutheran Services in America

Lymphoma Research Foundation

March of Dimes

Medicare Rights Center

Michael J. Fox Foundation

National Association of County and City Health Officials

National Association of Medicaid Directors

National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners

National Association of School Nurses

National Association of Social Workers

National Association of State Directors of Special Education

National Brain Tumor Society

National Center for Assisted Living

National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship

National Comprehensive Cancer Network

National Council for Behavioral Health

National Council of Urban Indian Health

National Foundation for Transplants

National Down Syndrome Congress

National Health Council

National Institute for Reproductive Health

National Kidney Foundation

National Network to End Domestic Violence

National Multiple Sclerosis Society

National Organization for Rare Diseases

National Patient Advocate Foundation

Ovarian Cancer National Alliance

Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society

Planned Parenthood

Prevent Cancer Foundation

Prevention Institute

Public Health Institute

Pulmonary Hypertension Association

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Sara Collins, The Commonwealth Fund

Sarcoma Foundation of America

Susan G. Komen

The Arc

The Children's Cause for Cancer Advocacy

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

Trust for America's Health

United Steelworkers

Volunteers of America

VoteVets

WomenHeart

America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) - whose members include:

Affinity Health Plan

Aflac

AgeWell New York

Alignment Healthcare

AllCare

Allstate Insurance

AlohaCare

AMA Insurance Agency, Inc.

American Fidelity Assurance Company

American Republic Insurance Company

American Specialty Health Incorporated

Amerigroup Corporation

AmeriHealth

AmeriHealth Administrators

AmeriHealth Caritas Family of Companies

Anthem, Inc.

Arkansas BlueCross Blue Shield

Aspire Health Plan

AultCare Corporation

Avera Health Plans

AvMed Health Plan

Axis Global Accident & Health

Bankers Life and Casualty Company

Baptist Health Plan

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois

Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Louisiana

Blue Cross Blue Shield Blue Care Network of Michigan

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana

Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts

Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina

BlueCross BlueShield of Oklahoma

BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee

BlueCross BlueShield of Texas

BlueShield of Northeastern New York

Blue Cross of Idaho

Blue Shield of California

Cambia Health Solutions

Capital Blue Cross

Capital District Physicians Health Plan

Care 1st Health Plan

Care N' Care Insurance Company, Inc.

CareConnect

CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield

CareMore Health Plan

CareSource

Celtic Insurance Company

CENTENE Corp.

Chinese Community Health Plan

CHRISTUS

Cigna Corporation

Clover Health

CNO Financial Group

Colorado Choice Health Plans/San Luis Valley HMO

Commonwealth Care Alliance

Community Health Network of Connecticut

ConnectiCare, Inc.

CoreSource

DAKOTACARE

Dean Health Plan, Inc.

Delta Dental Plans Association

DentaQuest Group, Inc.

Denver Health Medical Plan

EmblemHealth

Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield

Express Scripts Medicare

Eyemed Vision Care HMO of Texas

Fallon Health

Family Care, Inc.

Federated Insurance Companies

FirstCare Health Plans

First Choice Health

Florida Blue

Fresenius Health Plans

Gateway Health

Geisinger Health Plans

Gen Re LifeHealth

Group Health Cooperative

Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire

Guarantee Trust Life Insurance Company

Gundersen Health Plan, Inc.

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care

Health Alliance Medical Plan

Health Alliance Plan

Health Care Service Corporation

Health Tradition Health Plan

HealthEquity

Healthfirst, Inc.

HealthMarkets

HealthPartners

HealthPlan Services

Highmark Health

Hometown Health Plan

Horizon BC/BS of New Jersey

HSABank

Humana, Inc.

Independence Blue Cross, Philadelphia, PA

Independent Health

Indiana University Health Plans

InnovaCare Health Solutions

InnovAge Care Management

Insurance Administrative Solutions, L.L.C.

Inter Valley Health Plan

John Hancock Financial Services

Kaiser Permanente

L.A. Care

LifePlans, Inc.

LifeSecure Insurance Company

Lighthouse Guild/GuildNet

Long Term Care Partners, LLC

Magellan Health

MagnaCare

artin's Point Health Care

Medica Health Plan

Medical Card System (MCS)

Medical Mutual of Ohio

Memorial Hermann Health Insurance Company

Meridian Health Plan

Moda Health

Molina Healthcare

Munich Re America HealthCare

Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company

MVP Health Care

Neighborhood Health Plan

Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island

New York Life Insurance Company

Oscar Insurance Corporation

PacificSource Health Plans

Passport Health Plan

Peoples Health

Physicians Health Plan of Northern Indiana

Physicians Mutual Insurance Company

Piedmont Community Health Plan, Inc.

PreferredOne

Prominence Health Plan

Providence Health Plans

QualCare, Inc.

QualChoice of Arkansas

Regence BC/BS of Oregon

Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah

Regence Blue Shield

Regence BlueShield of Idaho

Resolution Health

Sanford Health Plans

San Francisco Health Plan

SCAN Health Plan

Security Health Plan of Wisconsin

Senior Health Insurance Company of Pennsylvania

Senior Whole Health, LLC

Sentara Healthcare

Sharp Health Plan

SilverScript Insurance Company

SummaCare

Sutter Health Plan

Starmark

State Farm Insurance Companies

Swiss Re America

TakeCare Insurance Co.

Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

Trillium Community Health Plan

TriPlus

Trusted Health Plan

Trustmark Insurance Company

Tufts Health Plan

UCare

UMB Bank Healthcare Services

UNICARE Life & Health Insurance Company

Unity Health Insurance of Wisconsin

Universal American Corp

University Health Alliance

UPMC Health Insurance Plans

USAA

VillageCareMAX

Virginia Premier

VIVA Health, Inc.

WEA Trust

Western Health Advantage

WPS Health Insurance

Zurich North America

Genesis Healthcare has 1000+ employees in Maine.

Read this original document at: https://www.collins.senate.gov/newsroom/more-300-advocacy-groups-oppose-graham-cassidy