Why I voted for the American Health Care Act

This past week, the House passed the American Health Care Act. For six years, I have been an advocate for repealing the failed Obamacare and replacing it with real healthcare reform. The [un]Affordable Care Act has been collapsing across the country – more than 4.7 million people are without an insurer. This failed policy is raising costs for patients and forcing insurers out of the marketplace, which leaves patients and families with nowhere to go. For example, another Obamacare insurer is leaving Iowa, so soon only 3 Iowa counties will have access to insurance leaving  millions in that state without health insurance. Additionally, since the passage of Obamacare there has been an average 40 percent increase in insurance premiums – in some cases premiums have increased 100 percent. 

Since the American Health Care Act was proposed, I have been very concerned about Florida’s

Medicaid-funded nursing home beds.  These are critical to the access some of our senior population has to our nursing homes. From the beginning and at every step, I voiced my concerns and made it clear a solution to this problem was integral to my support. 

Florida is a very efficient state when it comes to providing Medicaid services; however, we are among the fastest growing states in the nation. Many seniors depend on Medicaid-funded nursing home beds when their Medicare coverage runs out.

Our high senior population is likely going to explode as more baby boomers reach senior age. The formula expressed in the proposal calculates a per capita cost multiplied by the number of eligible Medicaid recipients for the previous year.

The normal increase in cost of services coupled with being one of the fastest growing states in the country, puts Florida particularly at risk for exceeding the costs established under the bill.  

I have spoken with President Trump, Vice President Pence, House leadership, administration officials and Floridians at length about my concerns.  They realize that this is a problem and President Trump, Vice President Pence and House leadership have committed to find a solution to ensure Florida is equipped to serve one of our most vulnerable. Chairman Walden and I spoke about the issue during debate on Friday, and following their assurances and his comments, I voted for the bill.  In the coming days and weeks, I will be working with the administration, leadership and the Senate to develop a solution while the bill is in the Senate.  

Congressman Daniel Webster represents The Villages in the U.S. House of Representatives.