With a vote on legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act pending in the House of Representatives Friday, U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA) and Maria Cantwell (D-WA) joined 40 of their Senate colleagues in sending a letter this week to House Speaker Paul Ryan warning that he will not have their support for legislation to eliminate essential health benefits and consumer protections as outlined in the speaker’s “three-phase” plan of repealing the ACA.
“We are writing today to inform you that our caucus will not support any efforts that jeopardize the consumer protections our constituents rely upon when they purchase insurance,” the senators wrote. “Before you move forward with floor consideration of the [American Health Care Act], we urge you to choose another path.”
The two senators noted that Speaker Ryan and President Trump have assured certain Republican House members that legislation will be passed, either in the current bill or at a later date, to eliminate essential health benefit requirements for insurance coverage — including maternity care, emergency services, prescription drugs, substance misuse and mental health treatment.
“We will oppose any efforts to lessen our constituent’s access to basic preventative and primary care… Undermining the value of insurance and requiring that insurance plans cover rudimentary health care services is simply shifting more costs onto patients and taxpayers,” the letter continued. “We have always supported sensible improvements to the ACA and believe in working together to improve our health care system for the good of the patients it serves. Instead of supporting a fatally-flawed, incomplete, partisan bill, we hope you will take us up on our sincere offer to improve health care for all Americans.”
In addition to Murray and Cantwell, senators who signed the letter are: Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Ben Cardin (D-MD), Thomas Carper (D-DE), Robert Casey (D-PA), Chris Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Richard Durbin (D-IL), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Al Franken (D-MN), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Kamala Harris (D-CA), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Edward Markey (D-MA), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Brian Schatz (D-HI), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Tom Udall (D-NM), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Mark Warner (D-VA),Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
