FACT CHECK: Speaker Ryan's Press Conference
Speaker Ryan’s lengthy defense of the GOP’s repeal bill today is just begging for a fact check, so here we go:
WHAT HE SAID: “This law is in the middle of a collapse and people are quickly losing their choices… If we simply did nothing, just washed our hands of it, if we in the majority party said, ‘You know what, the Democrats gave us Obamacare, let them live with it.’ the collateral damage in this country would be awful.”
REALITY: Republicans own the health care system. Since the ACA was passed seven years ago, House Republicans have promised to repeal and replace the law with something better. And for the six years they’ve held the House majority, they actively worked to undermine the law. As a result, they have destabilized the health care system. They do not have a better plan, and the uncertainty they are creating will cause premiums to go up and, in some areas, insurers will exit state marketplaces entirely, leaving fewer choices for consumers.
J. Mario Molina, chief executive of Molina Healthcare Inc., said this about the GOP’s plan: “You’re going to see big rate increases, and you’re going to see insurers exit markets…this is going to destabilize the marketplace.”
WHAT HE SAID: “Here's the American Health Care Act, the bill that's moving through the committee process through regular order today.”
REALITY: The bill passed out of the Ways and Means Committee in the dead of the night, with NO hearings, NO witnesses, and NO CBO score, meaning that members voted on this bill with no idea of the cost to taxpayers, the magnitude of coverage losses in the individual and employer markets, or how much health care costs would increase. The Energy and Commerce Committee debated it for over 27 hours with no break – primarily at night or early in the morning when Americans are not watching – also with NO hearings, NO witnesses, and NO CBO score.
WHAT HE SAID: “These are the four driving principles that we are focused on: lowering the costs, giving people more choices, having patients in control, and universal access to care.”
REALITY: The bill does not meet these tests – it would kick millions of people off their coverage and increase costs for millions more. We don’t have a CBO report on the bill, but an earlier CBO report estimated that 15 million people would lose health insurance under the Republican plan to repeal the individual responsibility requirement, which this bill does. The bill would also erode employer based coverage. An analysis by Vox shows the bill would increase costs for families who obtain coverage through the individual market and according to AARP, older workers will see their costs go up. And the bill ends the Medicaid expansion for 11 million people.
We’ve heard a lot from Republicans about ensuring that people have “access” to health care. As a reminder: we all have “access” to a BMW dealership – that doesn’t mean that you can afford to buy a BMW.
Two visuals from Families USA that may be helpful on premium increases for lower-income families and seniors:
WHAT HE SAID: “We need to have a stable transition to conservative health care reform and that's what we're doing so that we do not pull the rug out from anybody who is enjoying some kind of coverage they have today.”
REALITY: Every American is going to be affected by the law – whether they are paying more for less, losing their coverage, or being discriminated against by insurance companies. In fact, 2.6 million people in seven states would lose their Medicaid coverage almost immediately and millions more could lose private coverage as their bill makes markets implode. Here are ten reasons why the GOP bill actually does pull the rug out of Americans.
WHAT HE SAID: “Again, like many other Republican alternatives, we had an answer for people with pre-existing conditions and we have one here.”
REALITY: The bill encourages states to discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions, forcing them into plans with higher premiums and deductibles.
WHAT HE SAID: “So we propose more efficient spending, bring the spending on Medicaid to something that's sustainable so it doesn't go bankrupt, and have a safety net for the most vulnerable. Give local control to our states and governors so that they can craft and customize Medicaid to work for their populations.”
REALITY: The bill cuts Medicaid and rations care. It eliminates the Medicaid expansion for 11 million people in 31 states and Washington, D.C. and caps the program in 2020, forcing states to do the dirty work of eliminating benefits, cutting provider payments and rationing care. In the short term, 2.6 million people in 7 states would immediately be kicked off their coverage. A visual, courtesy of Vox:
