After delaying a vote in the House of Representatives to repeal the health care reform law in the wake of the shootings in Tucson, the U.S. House Republican leadership announced on Thursday that the House will debate H.R. 2, the repeal bill, next Tuesday and Wednesday, January 18 and 19. The House will begin debate Tuesday evening, and the vote will occur on Wednesday evening. The Alliance sent a blast fax today to all members of the House opposing H.R. 2. The letter states that repealing the law will negatively impact America’s seniors in the following specific ways:
• Revokes significant drug discounts for Medicare beneficiaries who fall in the Part D doughnut hole;
• Revokes free annual check-ups and preventive screenings;
• Revokes subsidies for employers who provide health care coverage for their retirees; and
• Revokes Medicaid options that allow older Americans with chronic conditions to live at home rather than in institutions.
Furthermore, the 2010 law extends Medicare solvency by 12 years and cuts the federal deficit by $230 billion the first ten years - and by more than $1 trillion in the next decade. Therefore, repealing the law would be detrimental to Medicare’s finances and add to the nation’s deficit.