Sen. Heitkamp Statement on Her Vote Against Repealing Health Reform Law without a Replacement

WASHINGTON, Jan. 12 -- The office of Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., issued the following statement after she voted against a bill that will enable Congress to repeal the health care reform law without having a replacement plan in place - which would rip away affordable health coverage from tens of thousands of North Dakotans who rely on it.

"I've long said there are good pieces of the health reform law and pieces that need to be fixed. Almost three years ago, I proposed many reasonable reforms to the law, and have offered many others since then," said Heitkamp. "But just taking an axe to North Dakotans' health care without having a replacement in place is reckless and would rip away affordable health coverage from so many who already have it, including thousands of North Dakotans and those across rural America who signed up for Medicaid under the law. It also would mean North Dakotans with life-threatening diseases like cancer could lose care, support for treatment for those abusing opioids would go away, and funds would disappear for rural hospitals and community health clinics that enable them to offer their services to more families.

"With any major legislation, there are improvements that need to be made so that it works as well as possible, just as Congress has done for Medicare and Social Security for decades. That's also the case for the health reform law. It's well past time to stop politics and do policy - that's what I'm trying to accomplish."

Last night, Heitkamp offered an amendment that would prevent taking away support in the health reform law for rural communities and rural hospitals. Unfortunately, the amendment did not pass.

In March 2014, Heitkamp and five other senators introduced a series of commonsense proposals that would make the health reform law work better for individuals, families, and small businesses across North Dakota and the country. Additionally, in the past three and a half years, Heitkamp has also introduced and supported other legislation to improve the law by helping make over-the-counter medications more affordable, enabling employers to offer health care reimbursement accounts to their employees, and making sure businesses employing up to 100 employees qualify as small businesses to receive the flexibility they need, among other bills. Since 2013, Heitkamp has also met regularly with her health care advisory board - comprised of health care leaders across North Dakota -- to talk with them about health care in the state and improving the health reform law.

Click here for a fact sheet about how repealing the law would impact North Dakota. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, repealing the health reform law without a replacement plan in place would have devastating impacts on North Dakotans:

* More than 275,000 North Dakotans who have a pre-existing health condition could be denied coverage or charged exorbitant prices.

* More than 20,000 North Dakotans covered through the individual marketplace would likely lose coverage.

* 18,000 North Dakotans who gained coverage through the Medicaid expansion would lose health coverage.

* Nearly 18,000 middle class North Dakotans would likely lose tax credits that help pay for health care averaging $262 per month.

* Nearly 12,000 North Dakota seniors who saved $11 million on prescription drugs in 2015 alone would see their prescription drug costs go up.

* 7,000 North Dakota young adults would be kicked off their parents' health care plans.

* Thousands with a mental illness or substance abuse disorder would lose Medicaid access, exacerbating the state's opioid epidemic.

* Tribal health care facilities would lose federal resources that strengthen their health care services, and provisions expanding coverage specifically for Native Americans would be eliminated - harming health outcomes for families across Indian Country.

* Community Health Centers, which more than 36,000 North Dakotans rely on for care, would lose 70 percent of their federal funding, according to the National Association of Community Health Centers.

* North Dakota hospitaxls and doctors would lose $68 million annually as Medicare reimbursement in rural states would drastically drop, according to the North Dakota Medical Association.

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