{"id":27895,"date":"2017-04-10T13:52:10","date_gmt":"2017-04-10T17:52:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nephcure.org\/advocacy-alert-action-required-tell-congress-to-preserve-protections-for-chronic-disease-patients\/"},"modified":"2024-05-01T16:28:58","modified_gmt":"2024-05-01T20:28:58","slug":"se-requiere-una-accion-de-alerta-de-defensa-para-decirle-al-congreso-que-preserve-las-protecciones-para-los-pacientes-con-enfermedades-cronicas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nephcure.org\/es\/advocacy-alert-action-required-tell-congress-to-preserve-protections-for-chronic-disease-patients\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00a1Alerta de defensa! Acci\u00f3n requerida: decirle al Congreso que preserve las protecciones para los pacientes con enfermedades cr\u00f3nicas"},"content":{"rendered":"

Advocacy Alert! Action Required: Tell Congress to Preserve Protections for Chronic Disease Patients<\/em><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Contact your House Member to ask them to support critical patient protections during the current healthcare reform effort\u00a0 <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Tell Congress to Preserve Protections for Chronic Disease Patients<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"The leadership of the House of Representatives is continuing to work with conservative and moderate Republicans in an effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Their proposal, the American Health Care Act (AHCA), was pulled from consideration a few weeks ago when it could not muster the votes to pass. However, House leaders continue to try and find common ground in order to modify the House leadership bill to make it passable.<\/p>\n

The emerging House leadership plan includes a number of provisions that would be devastating for patients with chronic, complex, and costly medical conditions. The bill would remove protections for individuals with pre-existing health conditions.<\/u><\/strong> It would also eliminate the ACA\u2019s Essential Health Benefits\u2014<\/strong>federal quality standards for health insurance policies.<\/p>\n

In place of these protections, the bill would expand health savings accounts and tax credits, establish state risk sharing subsidies, and leave it to states to determine which essential health benefits they will offer\u2014likely leading to lower quality benefits for patients with costly diseases.<\/p>\n

For patients with costly health conditions, they could likely never<\/em> put enough money in a health savings account, nor would they be able to take advantage of a tax break associated with not utilizing healthcare services. Further, segregating costly patients into high risk pools has not worked in the past and would jeopardize access for the most vulnerable.<\/p>\n

\"\"Elimination of the federal mandate that insurers offer a minimum level of benefits and allow states the flexibility to decide these benefits would likely mean that many states would have the incentive to not recommend comprehensive benefits to those with pre-existing health conditions<\/strong>. Insurers could also dramatically hike premiums for those with expensive chronic health care needs.<\/p>\n

The House of Representatives could vote on this bill when it returns on April 24th<\/sup> from the Easter recess.<\/strong> Grassroots outreach and educating Members of Congress about the needs of chronic disease patients continues to influence the overall debate. At this time, please reach out to your House member and ask them to protect patients and oppose discriminatory and dangerous provisions.<\/p>\n

Take Action<\/strong><\/h2>\n