Could this be real?

I may be dreaming, but I think I just saw an article in the NY Times about how some in Congress are working in a bipartisan way to fix the parts of the ACA that most need fixing, i.e. the individual markets. Some ideas about how to do this are laid out by the non-partisan Commonwealth Fund, a health care foundation. This approach is in stark contrast to certain screeching tweet threats, which some lawmakers from both parties fear will totally destabilize individual coverage for millions of Americans.

I'm not sure how realistic this is, but it would be nice if we could keep the parts that work and actually do some problem solving on the rest.

Last chance?

Not to be too dramatic about it, but this could be the last chance to try to preserve health care for millions of Americans, including kids, seniors and working people. In WV alone nearly 300,000 kids are covered by Medicaid, which also pays for over half of births and around 70 percent of long term care. Medicaid expansion as of today covers around 171,000 West Virginians.

Last week, Senator Capito seemed to be standing strong. Today it's hard to tell. And tomorrow is show time.

What can you do? You probably saw this coming, but keep calling Senator Capito's offices (the more the  merrier) and say something like "Stay strong. Vote no on taking away health care from WV."

DC office:  202-224-6472
Beckley: 304-347-5372
Charleston: 304-347-5372
Martinsburg:  304-262-9285
Morgantown: 304-292-2310

Lotta ins, lotta outs

The ongoing health care controversy reminds me of a line from The Big Lebowski. But then, almost everything reminds me of a line from that move. The line is question is "This is a very complicated case, Maude. You know, a lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta what-have-you's." Some of those are laid out in this story from WV Public Broadcasting.

In the latest Front Porch podcast, I gave some props to WV Senator Shelley Moore Capito for her statement on preserving coverage for her constituents in the state. I'm hoping that wasn't a case of speaking too soon. It's a bit hard to interpret her latest statement on the subject.

Worst case interpretation: she votes for a bad bill after some cosmetic changes are made to the old ones. Better case is that she really does hold out until there are guaranteed protection for things like traditional Medicaid, Medicaid expansion, CHIP and opioid treatment.

In a rational world, not that one exists anywhere near this one, there would be some bipartisan problem solving to fix the parts of the Affordable Care Act that need fixing, such as the individual market, while keeping what is working.

Recently, we interviewed several people affected by the ACA in Kanawha County WV. Some loved the coverage they had. Some hated it. All seemed to agree on this core message: "Make it better but don't take anything away."

Good news for and from WV

As Joe Biden might say, "Golly, this could be a significant development" in the ongoing fight over the fate of the Affordable Care Act and the millions who gained coverage through it.

Let's review the last week or so. First, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was hell bent on pushing through another bad version of ACA repeal and replacement. See my latest rant about that here. Then, Republican defections effectively took that off the agenda. Then McConnell, along with Prince Joffrey President Trump, called for repeal without replacement, another really bad idea. Now, that possibility just got a good bit more remote after WV Senator Shelley Moore Capito issued a strong statement opposing repeal without replacement.

She's not the only one but her decision is crucial. Here's her statement:

“As I have said before, I did not come to Washington to hurt people. For months, I have expressed reservations about the direction of the bill to repeal and replace Obamacare. I have serious concerns about how we continue to provide affordable care to those who have benefited from West Virginia’s decision to expand Medicaid, especially in light of the growing opioid crisis. All of the Senate health care discussion drafts have failed to address these concerns adequately. 

“My position on this issue is driven by its impact on West Virginians. With that in mind, I cannot vote to repeal Obamacare without a replacement plan that addresses my concerns and the needs of West Virginians.” 

The fight isn't over...but this latest round might be. Congratulations to everyone in WV who worked so hard to make this happen.

I strongly encourage any and all from WV to pick up the phone and call both her local and DC offices and say a big "Thank you!" Here's the link. I'm about to pick up the phone myself.

A bad deal all the way around

According to the Congressional Budget Office, the "kinder, gentler" senate non-health care bill will cut off 22 million people from coverage. According to the NY Times, the CBO...

 ...found that next year, 15 million more people would be uninsured compared with current law. Premiums and out-of-pocket expenses could shoot skyward for some low-income people and for people nearing retirement, it said.

You can check out the CBO report here.

This bill would also be devastating to tens of thousands of people in WV, not to mention the whole country, who are getting help for addiction thanks to the Affordable Care Act. (You can read more about real people who could be impacted by ACA repeal here.)

Meanwhile, WV Republican Senator Shelley Moore Capito continues to straddle the fence. Yesterday, six West Virginians were arrested for sitting in at her Charleston office. That action came one day after around 2,000 West Virginians attended a rally there that featured local people as well as Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.

As Bob Dylan sang, you gotta serve somebody. The question is, will Capito choose to serve Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell or the people of West Virginia? I wish I felt better about how that might turn out