Some Las Crucens organize to oppose Obamacare repeal

Las Cruces Sun-News (NM)

Jan. 20--LAS CRUCES -- Fast-paced efforts by a Republican-controlled Congress to repeal the federal Affordable Care Act have sparked some Las Crucens to organize opposition to the move.

However, others are expressing support for a repeal of the 2010 law, also known informally as Obamacare, which expanded the number of low-income residents eligible for Medicaid; set up insurance exchanges for self-employed people to access health plans and potentially qualify for federal subsidies; and imposed tax penalties for people opting not to get health insurance, among other provisions.

In opposition

About 20 Las Crucens, part of a newly formed group, delivered letters to U.S. Rep. Steve Pearce's Las Cruces office on Wednesday, expressing support for Obamacare. Resident Patricia Warner, a retired university procurement officer who along with her sister helped organize the group, said that, while she's not opposed to Republican Donald Trump as president, "my sister and I have been concerned about Trump's agenda and some of his appointees."

Chief among their concerns is the possibility of a repeal of the Affordable Care Act -- initiated last week by the U.S. House and Senate and supported by Trump -- without a replacement measure in place. Absent a replacement, "it would be chaotic," Warner said.

"We want to appeal to our representative to not repeal the Affordable Care Act without a stronger replacement," Warner said.

Warner said she; her sister, Sandy Daniels; and all but one member of the roughly 20-person group have not been involved in politics or organizing previously. But their frustrations prompted them to change that. They've drawn upon the Indivisibleguide.com website for a blueprint about how to organize. Through that website, they connected with a second fledgling group from Picacho Hills. Their group is now called: "We're In: Southern New Mexico." What members have in common is supporting causes to counter "injustices in our society," including the principle of health care coverage for everyone, she said.

"I am very fortunate that I have health care," Warner said. "I can't imagine what it would be right now if you didn't."

The Indivisible website describes itself as a "practical guide for resisting the Trump agenda" and aims to equip progressives with organizing strategies akin to those employed by Tea Party protesters over the past decade.

Congressman Steve Pearce, R-N.M., said Thursday in a statement the Affordable Care Act has "failed to answer on its promises, instead leaving fewer choices, higher prices, and less access to care. In New Mexico, we have seen the prices on the exchange skyrocket, while options vanish."

Pearce said in an email that the next health care law overhaul "must keep key provisions of the current law, like pre-existing condition coverage, while providing every New Mexican with access to quick, affordable and quality care."

If reformed correctly, "our nation's health care system will be hugely positive for both families and health care alike," Pearce said.

In December, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services stated that the rate of uninsured residents in New Mexico dropped by 44 percent since the Affordable Care Act was enacted in 2010, and an additional 178,000 New Mexicans gained health insurance coverage. The agency touted other strides, too, such as the end to lifetime limits on health insurance coverage and an estimated 15,000 young adults in New Mexico who were able to stay on parents' health plans up until age 26. New Mexico's population in 2016 was estimated to be nearly 2.1 million.

U.S. Sen. Tom Udall, D-N.M., voted last week against the Senate budget reconciliation measure that opens the door for a repeal of Obamacare.

"President-elect Trump and Washington Republicans are pushing forward, full speed ahead, with their disastrous effort to dismantle the Affordable Care Act and strip away health care from hundreds of thousands of New Mexicans and millions of Americans," he said in a statement. "And even worse, after years of promising to 'repeal and replace' the ACA, what they're doing now is more like 'repeal and chaos,' because they still have no plan for replacing the ACA."

A nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office report released this week estimated that, under one possible overhaul route, up to 18 million people across the country could lose health insurance coverage in the first full year after the law change was enacted.

Trump has stated a list of provisions he wants during the reform process, such as allowing for health insurance sales across state lines and allowing people to deduct health care premium payments in their taxes. He contends that by spurring economic growth and increasing available jobs is will reduce Americans' need for Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program.

Las Crucen Susan McGonnell, a Republican, noted Trump has outlined his plan for what would replace Obamacare and believes the contention that there's "nothing to replace it" is inaccurate. And while there isn't a specific bill yet, McGonnell said that's the direction Congress is headed. She said Medicare, Medicaid and the veterans health care system are examples that the federal government shouldn't "be providing private health insurance period."

"They've yet to show they're capable of handling it," she said.

McGonnell said she had health insurance under BlueCross BlueShield under New Mexico's exchange, or marketplace, and then that insurer dropped out. So she switched to Presbyterian Health Plan, which also pulled out.

"So we're under our third insurance carrier, and it's been a year," she said. "Premiums keep going up; there's nothing affordable about it."

McGonnell said she thinks the reform underway can include some additional requirements on private insurers, such as to cover pre-existing conditions.

But overall, "you've got to let the free market work," she said.

For 2017, Presbyterian Health plan dropped out of offering individual and family plans under the state's exchange, according to the Albuquerque Journal. BlueCross BlueShield returned after a year hiatus.

U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., announced earlier this month he was launching an online portal for New Mexicans to "share their stories about the critical importance of having access to quality, affordable health care" and talk about the impacts of a repeal of the Affordable Care Act. He said he "welcomes good-faith attempts" to improve the health care system, but doesn't believe Republicans are doing that.

"If Republicans repeal the Affordable Care Act with no plan to replace they will strip health care from hundreds of thousands of New Mexicans, raise premiums and throw our entire health care system into chaos," he said in statement Thursday. "I've heard from a number of New Mexicans about how access to health care coverage has helped their families, and in some cases, it has been the difference between life and death."

Continued Heinrich: "Repealing the ACA would take us back to the days when seniors had to pay more for prescription drugs, insurance companies could deny you coverage if you had a pre-existing condition, and bankruptcy was the only option for a family figuring out how to pay for critical treatment. That's immoral."

Continuing to meet

As for the new group with concerns about an Obamacare repeal, Warner said they've been met once a week for two weeks. Their sessions will likely be less frequent after they're better organized, she said. The group doesn't plan to seek any sort of formal status, such as by becoming a nonprofit. The group also isn't aiming to cater to any specific political party affiliation, Warner said.

"It could be a Republican who's concerned," she said. "I know that some of them are independents."

One of the group's principle's is civil dialogue, Warner said. She said more people are welcome to attend the meetings.

"We want to be respectful and thoughtful," she said. "We're not a yelling group. We'll let our senators and representatives know where we stand."

The group's next meeting will be noon Tuesday at Sunset Grill, 1274 Golf Club Road, Las Cruces. Organizers said interested attendees should RSVP at 575-521-1422 because of space limitations.

Diana Alba Soular may be reached at 575-541-5443, [email protected] or @AlbaSoular on Twitter.

Correction: Statements previously attributed to Congressman Steve Pearce's chief of staff in an initial online publication of this article on Thursday, Jan. 19, have been corrected to reflect they were from Pearce.

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