Tag: AHCA

The GOP Will Free You from Having Health Care

The following article by Jim Hightower was posted on the Creators.com website June 14, 2017:

Image: C-SPAN

When I think of freedom, I think of it in positive, aspirational terms — our First Amendment freedoms, for example, or FDR’s “Four freedoms” or the uplifting songs of freedom sung by oppressed people around the globe.

But right-wing, corporate-funded ideologues have fabricated a new negative notion of “freedoms” derived from individual choice. You’re free to be poor, free to be politically powerless or free to be ill and uncared for — it’s all a matter of decisions you freely make in life, and our larger society has no business interfering with your free will. Continue reading “The GOP Will Free You from Having Health Care”

Senate Repeal Bill Would Still Eviscerate Coverage and Protections for People with Pre-Existing Conditions

The following article by Thomas Huelskoetter and Emily Gee was posted on the Center for American Progress website June 9, 2017:

AP/David Zalubowski
A doctor checks a patient in a primary care clinic located in a low-income neighborhood, March 2017.

Recent reports indicate that the emerging Senate version of the American Health Care Act (AHCA) may not include the House version’s provision permitting states to waive the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) community rating provision, which prevents insurers from charging sick people higher premiums than healthy people.

Even without community rating waivers, the Senate bill would still critically weaken protections for people with pre-existing conditions. By allowing states to waive the ACA’s essential health benefits (EHB) requirements, it would enable insurers to effectively screen out sick people by excluding certain services. Continue reading “Senate Repeal Bill Would Still Eviscerate Coverage and Protections for People with Pre-Existing Conditions”

Al Franken Comes Out and Says What Most Americans Really Think of Trumpcare

The following article by Alexandra Rosenmann was posted on the AlterNet website May 30, 2017:

The Minnesota senator calls on his Republican colleagues to kill an “awful bill.”

While they review the much-maligned American Health Care Act, Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) issued a stern warning to his Republican colleagues in the Senate.

“I don’t think the Republicans can do this themselves, and they shouldn’t,” he said in a “CBS This Morning” interview May 30. “What came out of the House is just dreadful.” Continue reading “Al Franken Comes Out and Says What Most Americans Really Think of Trumpcare”

Paulsen’s AHCA vote a disaster for constituents

Erik Paulsen’s recent ACHA [sic] vote is another example of tax cuts for the wealthiest. Despite the flood of calls, letters and demonstrations from his constituents against it, he chose to ignore them. The ACHA [sic] is a “success” for the top 1 percent among us, and is an absolute disaster for the well-being of the people of the Congressional District 3 he serves, and the rest of the country.

Paulsen’s party before country agenda has been to repeal and replace the ACA Period. Not improving it. Not getting more Minnesotans and Americans insured. Not making health insurance more affordable and certainy not saving and cherishing human life. With the CBO showing that 23 million Americans will be adversely affected by this, there is no doubt. Paulsen’s vote in favor of the ACHA [sic] is a disgrace and a blemis on Minnesota He has betrayed us.

Michelle Beddor, Chanhassen
Lakeshore Weekly, June 1, 2017

What kind of conscience does Paulsen have?

To the Editor:

We would like to connect the dots between Rep. Erik Paulsen, our representative, and his callous vote for the AHCA . Erik has been flying under the radar as a moderate Minnesotan, a nice guy, a math guy. Erik cast his vote before the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office had a chance to score it for its impact on people and on the budget. As of last Wednesday we know the CBO projects that by 2026, 56 million people are expected to uninsured. Reduced spending on health care will affect the middle class, the poor, the sick, the elderly and the disabled. Should a form of the Republican House bill pass, every millionaire could receive large tax cuts paid for by the cut in care to 32 million people. Whether or not a form of this bill is ever passed, Erik’s constituents should ask what kind of conscience must he have in order to put so many in dire conditions while the wealthy benefit once again?

We think Congressional District 3 can and should do better than Erik Paulsen!

Art and Jane Price, Coon Rapids
Anoka County Union Herald, June 1, 2017

Here’s why the CBO report is bad news for Republicans on health care

The following article by Paige Winfield Cunningham was posted on the Washington Post website May 25, 2017:

The final word is in: The House Republican bill to replace large parts of the Affordable Care Act would save $119 billion over a decade but cost 23 million Americans their health coverage.

Those figures are actually pretty similar to initial estimates for the House’s American Health Care Act — before Republicans added in some last-minute amendments changes.

Yet when the CBO released its score late Wednesday afternoon, it reignited a heated debate in Washington over the ongoing GOP effort to ditch big provisions in President Obama’s health-care law – an issue that took a temporary back seat amid all the drama over President Trump’s relationship with Russia and his treatment of former FBI Director James B. Comey. Continue reading “Here’s why the CBO report is bad news for Republicans on health care”

Fact-checking a rosy portrait of the American Health Care Act

Note:  A similar commercial has been airing in the Twin Cities supporting Rep. Erik Paulsen.

The following article by Glenn Kessler was posted on the Washington Post website May 24, 2017:

“As a mom, rising health-care costs are a big concern. My family lost our insurance and doctor because of the Affordable Care Act. But now, we have hope.”
— California resident Elizabeth Jacinto, in an ad sponsored by the American Action Network

In a $2 million ad campaign to support the House GOP health plan, the right-leaning American Action Network (AAN) features a California woman named Elizabeth Jacinto who says she suffered under Obamacare and expresses enthusiasm for the American Health Care Act. The ACHA only narrowly passed the House and was greeted lukewarmly by the Senate, so a key part of the effort appears to assist 21 GOP lawmakers who cast a tough vote to support the proposal. Continue reading “Fact-checking a rosy portrait of the American Health Care Act”

Paulsen follows President Trump

To the Editor:

Congressman Erik Paulsen has made it clear to his constituents in the Minnesota 3rd District that he is little more than a follower of President Donald Trump and the Republican Party.

His recent votes, especially on the American Health Care Act, have shown that he is willing to put party over the good of the Minnesotan 3rd. While he attempted to explain his vote in his May Star Tribune op-ed, Paulsen fails to convincingly address the issues. Continue reading “Paulsen follows President Trump”

Erik Paulsen and the GOP at the tanning salon

To the Editor:

To look my best for my high school prom in 1987, I went to a tanning salon. Everyone in my suburb did! We thought that tans looked healthy. Thirty years later, tanning salons persist, as does the perception among many Caucasian teens that they look better with a tan.

Now I’m a dermatopathologist, and I have diagnosed thousands of skin cancers – the vast majority a result of exposure to UV light. I see a range of sun-related tumors. Some are common and treatable, such as basal cell carcinomas and others are deadly, such as melanoma. My colleagues in dermatology see patients who are obsessed with reversing the effects of sun-damage. The consensus in the medical field is clear – sun exposure damages skin, from cosmetic changes (premature aging) to altered DNA (cancer).
Scientists and medical professionals are also in agreement about the special danger of tanning salons as distinct from sun exposure alone. Researchers estimate that indoor tanning may cause upwards of 400,000 cases of skin cancer in the U.S. each year. More young women develop melanoma than young men, thought to be related to the ubiquity of tanning bed use in this population. It’s clear that use of tanning beds lead to more medical problems and health care needs. Based on this evidence, the fact that the ACA imposed a 10-percent tax on tanning as a way to help fund coverage for some 20 million Americans made sense to me. Continue reading “Erik Paulsen and the GOP at the tanning salon”

Clarity from Researching Rep. Paulsen AHCA Commentary

To the Editor:

After Rep. Erik Paulsen’s OpEd (My health care vote will put Minnesotans back in control, May 8, Star Tribune) I went searching for more clarity. Among many published items, I found a summary article, Prestigious medical groups denounce health care vote, at cbsnews.com [1] I learned Congressman Paulsen, my CD3 representative, lies by omission.

Consider this from the American Academy of Pediatrics statement on AHCA: Continue reading “Clarity from Researching Rep. Paulsen AHCA Commentary”