Senator Susan Collins is supposed to be the advocate and servant of her constituents but instead she is marching to the orders of the extremists in her party.
By voting to set in motion the repeal of the Affordable Care Act without anything to replace it she is going back on her public pledge not to do. This is tantamount to tossing our insurance system over the cliff and with it the health insurance of 95,000 Mainers who have signed up on the exchanges.
Among those are 8,500 Mainers now in opiate addiction treatment who will lose their care. There are real lives at stake. Sadly we know all too well that people without health care still get sick, still go to the emergency room, and are often admitted with catastrophic illness. Those uncovered costs will now fall on small rural hospitals like Franklin Memorial, which is among many in the state that are struggling to stay afloat. Many hospitals are not going to survive this hit.
Instead of repeal and replace Sen. Collins and the Republicans in power should have the courage to offer us replace and repeal. Draw up a better plan, present it to the public and let us thoughtfully make a decision on the merits. Repeal and replace is in actuality a cynical bait and switch. Opposed to it from the beginning without ever offering a better idea, this is ideological thinking at its worst.
Steve Bien, MD
Jay
I concur with Steve Bien’s comments and I would add this important detail. I find it highly hypocritical for Senator Collins to make public statements in support of the Affordable Care Act and then proceed to vote for a motion which sets out to repeal it. Does she think we simply aren’t paying attention? Or that we are that easily fooled. It is true that some of us blinked, and then, Lo and behold, she had reversed her public stance, and fell prey to the extremes of the Republic agenda.
With no replacement in sight, Franklin Memorial will have little chance of keeping up, as more and more once-insured people will land in the emergency room, having lost their ACA health insurance coverage.
I dont recall having a say in the ACA. I do recall Obama and others saying when you pass it then you can see whats in it. Don’t forget that only the taxpayers are eligible for it ,congress felt obliged to exclude themselves from being part of it. It has cost the American taxpayers over a trillion dollars already and is still severely flawed,not to mention that if you cant afford a plan you have to pay a fine to the IRS. All i cansay is good riddance ACA !!!!
All the ACA did for me was double my premium and triple my deductible
Although a single-payer plan (such as Medicare) would have been preferable, the Affordable Care Act was/is sorely needed to provide health insurance to to those without such a benefit, those who have pre-existing conditions, and it includes numerous provisions that require plans to offer a basic minimum of services…mental health treatment, maternity and newborn care, for example.
See this link for valuable clarification of what “Obamacare” offers:
http://www.aarp.org/health/health-insurance/info-08-2013/affordable-care-act-health-benefits.html
It’s absurd to regress into being a “Third World” country that doesn’t care to deliver social and medical services to its citizenry. What’s “great again” about that?!
Sen. Susan Collins: key health care votes
https://www.healthreformvotes.org/congress/300025
December 3, 2015
S 3762: Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015
Status: House bill passed
On Passage of the Bill H.R. 3762 [more]
Sen. Collins voted No, which we score as a
pro-consumer vote.
July 26, 2015
S 22: To repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 entirely.
Status: House cloture motion rejected
On the Cloture Motion S.Amdt. 2328 to S.Amdt. 2327 to S.Amdt. 2266 to H.R. 22 [more]
Sen. Collins voted Yes, which we score as unfavorable.
February 2, 2011
S 223: Repealing the Health Care Bill
Status: House motion rejected
Repeal of the Affordable Care Act of 2010 [more]
Sen. Collins voted Yes, which we score as unfavorable.
March 25, 2010
S 4872: Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010
Status: House bill passed
These were House amendments to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, making financing and revenue changes. It made some adjustments to the health reform bill to mollify House Democrats who had sought a more aggressive reform bill [more]
Sen. Collins voted No, which we score as unfavorable.
December 24, 2009
S 3590: Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)
Status: House bill passed
On Passage of the Bill H.R. 3590 [more]
Sen. Collins voted No, which we score as unfavorable.
December 15, 2009
S 3590: Authorizing Importation of Prescription Drugs
Status: House amendment rejected
On the Amendment S.Amdt. 2793 to S.Amdt. 2786 to H.R. 3590 (Service Members Home Ownership Tax Act of 2009) [more]
Sen. Collins voted Yes, which we score as a pro-consumer vote.
December 3, 2009
S 3590: Preventive Services Coverage Requirements
Status: House amendment agreed to
This bill would have been an amendment to health care reform, which was approved later in December. Some of these provisions ended up in the final reform bill. [more]
Sen. Collins voted Yes, which we score as a pro-consumer vote.
January 29, 2009
S 2: Childrens Health Insurance Program Reauthorization and Expansion
Status: House bill passed
On Passage of the Bill H.R. 2 [more]
Sen. Collins voted Yes, which we score as a pro-consumer vote.
Anytime you rob Peter to pay for free stuff for Paul, Paul will be all for it.
“Collins has taken the position that Republicans…carshouldn’t end the health program until they can offer a replacement program.”
http://bangordailynews.com/2017/01/12/news/nation/angus-king-susan-collins-split-on-repeal-of-obamacare/
I guess Mr. Bien doesn’t read or listen to the news. The Republicans do have a replacement in the works.
Why not wait to see what they have to offer before slamming them!
I agree that replace then repeal would be better. Every advanced industrialized country has a health care system that guarantees health care to all, has no medical cost bankruptcy, and in most cases has no long waits or lack of care. Every country but the US. In every other advanced industrialized state health care costs are much lower than here – though insurance company profits are also lower. Moreover, people in every other advanced industrialized state would never want to give up their health care system, especially not for a US like approach which is pretty much looked down upon everywhere. Our health statistics are also towards the bottom of a comparison with other states (though a lot of that is because we have more poverty and crime). I know the days of the US being number one and envied are long past. But I think we could at least make sure all our citizens have quality health care without risking bankruptcy. So I’ll definitely look forward to see what the GOP plans to do to replace. Will it be better? I’ll wait and see.
Apparently Mr. Erb has never heard of Canada, Great Britain, etc. Odd, since he purports to know so much about all the industrialized countries in the world.
Disagree with the writer. ACA needs to go. It has benefited few at the expense of so many. And there does not need to be a “replacement”. We simply go back to where we were before this disaster was thrust upon us.
Then we can debate common sense market based reforms for the future.
America could afford single payer if and this is a big if 1) We controlled our border and limited legal immigration to people who have health care. That’s what all the European countries do . 2) As Trump has said charge the other Nato countries what the protection we afford them is really worth and we could put that $$$$$$$$$$$$ toward healthcare 3) Tort reform and national medical price reform (fixed price for procedures) negotiate drug prices on the national level.. Many of the countries the liberals love to use as examples have two different healthcare systems private insurance and goverment run one with long waiting list and death panels, if your 70 years old and get cancer you get pain treatment and thats it.. State Doctors work for low pay and the bottum of the barrel , private Doctors for the rich are well paid and give first rate care.
ACA? There was nothing affordable about it.
Yes, I know Canada and the UK. I think France, Italy and Germany have the best systems, though Switzerland’s might work best in the US. I’ve actually dug into this issue in a comparative sense. America has the most expensive system in the world, but does not have better outcomes. We can learn by comparing with other countries. Very few in the UK or Canada would trade their system for ours! Of course America is producing health-care tourists – many Americans, more than ever, are going abroad for their health care.
Recommended reading for those so inclined is T R Reid’s “Healing of America”, it certainly won’t make anyone an expert as some Bulldog readers purport to be but it might help to understand how other countries in the world (most of a industrialized nature) deal health care delivery for their citizens
The Swiss system is relatively expensive but Switzerland is a well to do country.
The Swiss purchase their basic coverage, Insurance company are not allowed to make a profit the basic coverage, any profit or surplus earnings go to reduce premiums the next year. Insurance companies are free to charge whatever they can regarding supplemental coverage re elective procedures etc
A free market system as the Republicans seem to favor if/when they get around to it ain’t gonna work.
Canada and the UK are famous for long waits for care, (as with our government-run VA system), with Canadians coming to the US to get care when it’s NEEDED. The Americans who go elsewhere for healthcare are doing it for lower COST, which would be possible HERE if Malpractice awards were regulated to reasonable amounts, reducing Malpractice insurance cost, which should reduce doctor and hospital bills to patients. That WOULD make the Malpractice lawyers unhappy, as well as the political party that benefits financially by keeping the Malpractice lawyers happy, and those who want Socialized Medicine (and Socialized everything!)