Vote To Repeal Obamacare, Reduce Mental Health Benefits Scheduled Today in the House

The House is scheduled to vote this afternoon on a bill to repeal and replace Obamacare.  It is not much different than the bill that could not get enough votes to pass a month ago, but from the mental health coverage angle it is worse.  The bill replaces the Obamacare subsidies that help lower income people buy health insurance with a tax credit based on age that will help lower and middle income people buy insurance.  The funding for Medicaid expansion that has helped millions of low income people in 31 states access healthcare would be cut back significantly. 

The latest version of the bill allows states to opt out of important regulations, one of which applies to pre-existing conditions, allowing insurers to use "health status" -- that is, current health, health history and other risk factors -- to set insurance premiums. Insurers could, based on your health status, offer you a policy that would end up charging you an exorbitant rate, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Another of the regulations that could be waived requires that insurers provide certain benefits including mental health benefits.  That too would become optional.

ACA opposes this bill because it will reduce mental health coverage and it does not need to.  It does do the following:

• Caps spending on Medicaid with which a significant portion of our members’ client base is able to afford counseling.
• Allows insurance plans to no longer offer essential benefits that include mental health services.
• Cuts funding for substance abuse programs.
• Is projected to result in 24 million Americans losing health insurance who currently have it.

There is no official cost/benefit analysis of the latest version of this bill because the House is scheduled to vote on it before the Congressional Budget Office can finish the analysis.  The House has a weeklong recess scheduled starting tomorrow.

You can call Congress at 202-224-3121 or you can find your representatives by going to this link and then submitting your zip code to Find Officials.