Focus on reform, not partisan jabs

House Republicans recently voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with a bill that scored partisan political points rather than meaningful progress for our nation’s healthcare system. It seems to me that Republicans have lost sight of why constituents sent us to Washington, D.C. —and I can guarantee you that it wasn’t to gain favor with President Donald Trump at the expense of the American people.

The Republicans’ repeal-and-replace legislation will raise healthcare premiums, deductibles and out-of-pocket costs for hard-working Americans while, at the same time, give billions of dollars in tax breaks to big corporations. An estimated 24 million Americans could lose their healthcare coverage under this new bill according to an anlysis of the first version of the bill, while those with pre-existing conditions will be at the mercy of their state leadership, which would have the option to opt out of guaranteeing insurers do not base premiums on individuals’ health.

{mosads}Before the Affordable Care Act became law, Florida was one of the many states that allowed insurance companies to charge higher premiums for people with pre-existing conditions. Therefore, it is reasonable to expect Florida to opt out under this new plan if given the opportunity. As a matter of fact, the state of Florida has previously used high-risk pools, which were unsuccessful. Insurance rates were 200-250 percent higher than comparable plans, co-pays had no maximum annual limits, and the lifetime maximum payout was $500,000. For someone who is battling cancer, that amount won’t get you very far.

In this latest version of the Republicans’ American Health Care Act, there are no limits on how much more insurance companies could charge someone with pre-existing conditions, making healthcare coverage unaffordable and therefore unattainable for thousands in Florida. This bill would allow insurance companies to charge people 50 and over five times more than they charge other people and it weakens the life of the Medicare trust fund. It also cuts federal support of Medicaid by some $839 billion over 10 years.

None of us can choose when and where we will need emergency care, or when we might join the millions of Americans who already have pre-existing conditions. No one should live in fear of not being able to seek medical care because it might lead to higher premiums they cannot afford.

The Affordable Care Act is not a perfect law. There is certainly a lot of room for improvement, but recent polling shows the American people agree that we should work to improve on what we already have in place. That is what we should be focused on in Congress right now: coming together to figure out ways to bring down healthcare costs, stabilize the market and help ensure that more people can access the affordable healthcare they need and deserve.

We need to make it easier to access and afford healthcare in our country, and Republicans have not put us on the path to do that. Rather, they have taken us back in time and created more obstacles for those who need access to care the most.

We need to put aside the partisan bickering, roll up our sleeves, and get to work. It is a sad day in America when members of Congress are unable to come together to do what’s right for the American people.

I will continue to fight to ensure that Floridians with pre-existing conditions don’t have to worry about losing their healthcare, and that young adults can stay on their parents’ insurance until they are 26. This is what it means to make healthcare affordable and accessible for all Americans and not just a select few.

Lawson represents Florida’s 5th District and was in the insurance business for 36 years before his election to Congress.

The views expressed by this author are their own and are not the views of The Hill.