Sen. Shaheen Votes Against Republican Leadership’s Resolution to Set in Motion Repeal of Healthcare Reform

WASHINGTON, Jan. 12 -- The office of Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., issued the following news release:

Last night, U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) voted against the Republican leadership's budget resolution that would begin the process to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) without a replacement, a move that would strip nearly 120,000 Granite Staters of their healthcare coverage. The budget resolution passed the Republican-led U.S. Senate after a late night voting session. Shaheen, a leader in Congress on efforts to combat the opioid epidemic, went to the Senate floor on Tuesday to speak about the harmful impact that repeal of the healthcare law would have on hundreds of thousands of Granite Staters and millions across the U.S., especially those who struggle with addiction.

"Republicans in leadership are putting politics ahead of the wellbeing of the American people," said Senator Shaheen. "The Affordable Care Act isn't a perfect law but there's no question that it has made New Hampshire healthier. Republican leadership's efforts to repeal ACA, especially without a replacement, recklessly endangers the healthcare coverage nearly 120,000 Granite Staters and more than 30 million Americans. New Hampshire cannot afford a roll-back in insurance coverage, especially as we continue to battle a raging opioid epidemic. I've successfully worked across the aisle to improve the Affordable Care Act, and I continue to encourage President-elect Trump and Republican leadership in Congress to do likewise, rather than risk unnecessary chaos in the lives of millions of American families."

On Sunday, USA Today published an article looking at the impact that a repeal of the Affordable Care Act would have on the opioid epidemic around the country, including in New Hampshire, writing that "almost any route taken on Capitol Hill leads to an unraveling of addiction and mental health coverage for these people." Federal data shows a nearly 200% increase in overdose deaths in New Hampshire over the last five years. In the Granite State, more than 48,000 Medicaid claims were submitted for substance use disorder in 2015.

Below please find helpful statistics on the many impacts the ACA has had in New Hampshire, and how repeal of the ACA would impact the opioid epidemic:

ACA in New Hampshire:

* 43%: uninsured rate in NH has fallen since the ACA was enacted in 2010 citation

* 63,000: Granite Staters who gained healthcare coverage under the ACA citation

* 600,000: Granite Staters who have a pre-existing health condition, and have benefitted from the ACA provision prohibiting insurers for charging more to those with pre-existing health conditions citation

* 3x: Estimated increase in uninsured rate if the ACA were repealed citation

* 118,000: Granite Staters who would lose health care coverage by 2019 under ACA repeal citation

* 59,000: Granite Staters who gained health care through Medicaid Expansion citation

* 48,000: Medicaid claims submitted in 2015 for vital substance use disorder treatment

* 9,000: Young adults who have benefited from the ACA provision that allows kids to stay on their parents' health insurance up to age 26 citation

* 690,524: Granite Staters who benefitted from free preventative care and services such as flu shots, cancer screenings & contraception citation

* 74%: Seniors enrolled in Medicare Part B who took advantage of at least one free preventive service citation

* 13,000: Number jobs lost in NH if the ACA were repealed citation

* 2%: average premium increase on NH's exchange from 2016 to 2017, the second lowest increase in the nation citations here and here

ACA Repeal & Opioid Epidemic:

* 50%: Increase in treatment gap under ACA repeal for Americans suffering from the opioid epidemic citation

* $5.5 billion: Amount of money lost per year under ACA repeal for treatment for mental and substance use disorders citation

* 2.8 million: Americans with a substance use disorder, of whom about 222,000 have an opioid use disorder, would lose some or all of their insurance coverage citation

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