Raimondo Warns Against the Impact of Immoral Senate Trumpcare Bill
PROVIDENCE, RI – Governor Gina M. Raimondo, Rhode Island residents at risk of losing health care coverage and members of the Governor’s Health Cabinet today outlined the potentially disastrous ramifications in Rhode Island of the proposed Senate Trumpcare Bill. Now more than ever, Governor Raimondo is committed to ensuring that every Rhode Islander has access to high-quality, affordable health care coverage.
«The Senate Trumpcare Bill is not a health care bill–it’s a tax cut for the wealthiest people in our nation that’s being paid for by the poorest. If this passes, it puts all of the progress we’ve made in Rhode Island at risk,» said Governor Raimondo. «As leaders, we have a moral obligation to stand up for the most vulnerable people in our community–and that’s exactly who Trumpcare would hurt.»
The Affordable Care Act has allowed Rhode Island to foster a competitive, stable marketplace resulting in rate decreases in two of the last three plan years. Today, 96% of all Rhode Islanders have health insurance. Expanded access to Medicaid has resulted in coverage for approximately 70,000 adults, and more than 30,000 Rhode Islanders are insured through HealthSource RI. Trumpcare could cost Rhode Island nearly $2 billion in Federal support for Medicaid over a six year period.
If the proposed Senate Trumpcare Bill were enacted into law, it would:
Put as many as 70,000 Rhode Islanders covered under Medicaid Expansion at risk of losing coverage;
Cause significant cost increases or coverage loss to the roughly 30,000 Rhode Islanders covered through HealthSourceRI (HSRI); and
Destabilize Rhode Island’s $6 billion health care sector and threaten thousands of Rhode Island jobs.
«As a cancer survivor, I carry with me the label ‘pre-existing condition’ for the rest of my life,» said Sara Miller, a 28 year old Providence resident who is insured through HSRI. «Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, I’m able to purchase health insurance, barrier-free, through HealthSourceRI. Under the Senate Trumpcare Bill, my premiums could skyrocket to the point where I can no longer afford health insurance.»
«When I had a hip injury, I was able to get the surgery I needed because of the Affordable Care Act. Without surgery, my condition would likely have become debilitating, and I may well have ended up on disability. Under the bill proposed by Senate Republicans, my surgery may not have been covered and I would have had to delay the procedure and risk my health, or pay significantly more out-of-pocket,» said Brenda Cotnoir, a hotel night manager who has health care coverage through HSRI.
«Medicaid expansion through the Affordable Care Act has been enormously successful in Rhode Island. We now have tools to ensure that the most vulnerable members of our community have access to health care coverage. The Senate Trumpcare Bill radically reduces the funding that allows Rhode Island to cover these individuals–threatening insurance for thousands and putting the state budget at risk at the same time,» said Medicaid Director Patrick Tigue.
In addition to discussing the benefits of the Affordable Care Act in Rhode Island, Developmental Disabilities and Hospitals Director Becky Boss explained how the Senate Trumpcare Bill would devastate Rhode Island’s most vulnerable, specifically those impacted by the opioid epidemic.
«As co-chair for the Governor’s Overdose Prevention and Intervention Task Force, I am acutely aware of the toll that the opioid epidemic has had on our state,» said Director Boss. «Because of the Affordable Care Act, thousands of Rhode Islanders have been able to access treatment for their mental illness and/or substance use disorders. The Senate Trumpcare Bill hurts our ability to help our most vulnerable. The impact of this proposal is very clear and very grim–people will die.»