NAUH does not support the American Health Care Act in its current form, the organization told members of the House of Representatives in a letter it sent yesterday.

In its letter, NAUH noted that the recently proposed AHCA would result in millions of Americans, many of them Medicaid beneficiaries and low-income individuals and families, losing their health insurance over the next ten years.  Private safety-net hospitals serve especially large numbers of these patients.

In addition, the bill inadequately indexes future growth in federal Medicaid spending; proposed two years of reduced Medicaid disproportionate share (Medicaid DSH) payments in some states; and calls for reduced federal funding for the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion population in a manner that NAUH believes could lead to some combination of tightened Medicaid eligibility requirements, reduced benefits, and reduced provider payments.

For these reasons, NAUH does not support the AHCA in its current form.

In its letter, NAUH also expresses hope that Congress will consider addressing these issues when it refines and improves the bill.

The ACHA proposal would repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

See NAUH’s letter to Congress here.