ABQ Journal Article "GOP Wasting Time on ACA Repeal"

http://www.abqjournal.com/main/2012/08/19/opinion/gop-wasting-time-on-aca-repeal.html




GOP Wasting Time on ACA Repeal
By Sen. Jeff Bingaman / Democrat, New Mexico on Sun, Aug 19, 2012



In June the Supreme Court upheld the vast majority of the Affordable Care Act. Still, Republicans in the House of Representatives continue to press for the law’s repeal.

This is a waste of time. Instead, we need to get to work on fixing our broken health care system. The time has come to stop fighting over ACA and instead focus on implementing it.

Across the country, the law is already working. Under ACA, millions of Americans benefited from free preventive health services last year, and women now have access to the full range of recommended preventive health services they need at no cost. ACA also requires that at least 80 percent of health care premiums be spent providing high-quality health care, not boosting the bottom line of insurance companies. Implementation of the fraud, waste and abuse protections in the law recovered $4.1  billion in taxpayer dollars in 2011 alone.

I am a strong supporter of ACA because New Mexico will benefit tremendously.

New Mexico has one of the highest rates of uninsured people in the country – nearly one in five residents lack health insurance. Uninsured New Mexicans still get lifesaving health services when they need it, but only because insured New Mexicans subsidize these costs through higher premiums. ACA expands health care coverage to more uninsured residents, saving all families money. According to one study, New Mexican households will have an additional $1,756 in their pockets in 2019 due to this law. 

Here in New Mexico, we’re seeing other important benefits as well. Twenty-six thousand young New Mexicans have gained coverage because the ACA requires their parents’ health insurance plans to cover them until they turn 26. 

Another 122,000 children in our state are no longer being denied coverage because of their pre-existing conditions. In 2014, no one with a pre-existing condition will be denied coverage; that’s at least 420,000 New Mexicans. And seniors and people with disabilities in New Mexico saved more than $17 million on prescription drug costs since the law was enacted. 

And there is more to come. We won’t feel the full effects of the law until 2014, when some 30  million more Americans will get health care coverage either because they will qualify for Medicaid or can purchase health insurance through the new health insurance exchanges. These are marketplaces that will be set up in every state so Americans can comparison shop to find the most affordable health care plan. 

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, by improving our nation’s health care safety net we will be creating millions of new jobs. New Mexico Voices for Children projects that 30,000 to 38,000 health sector positions will be created in our state. Our health care sector will be bolstered with an influx of $8 billion to $10  billion, according to one study. 

These dollars will help pay New Mexico doctors, nurses and other providers, and cover the cost of laboratory tests, medications and visits to health clinics. 

On the other hand, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, repealing the law would add $109 billion to our deficit over the next decade, and dig us an even deeper hole in the following 10 years. Repeal would include rolling back controls on the unsustainable rise in Medicare costs and reducing intake of revenues further straining our economy.

What will we have to do in order to fully benefit from the ACA?

First, our state needs to continue developing its health insurance exchange. Nearly half of working New Mexicans do not have access to health insurance through their employers. Through the exchange, individuals and small businesses will both be able to shop for insurance and determine whether they qualify for federal subsidies or tax credits to help pay premium costs.

Second, we should fully participate in the Medicaid expansion. As many as 170,000 low-income New Mexicans would become eligible for Medicaid; the federal government will cover 100 percent of the cost of expansion for the first three years and more than 90 percent of the cost after that. 

Implementing health care reform will not only help make us a healthier nation, but it will also strengthen our economy and put money in our pockets. Let’s stop bickering over ACA and instead prepare to fully reap its benefits.