Tester pans GOP health care bill

Montana Democratic Sen. Jon Tester said Wednesday that, absent changes, it is unlikely that the health care bill introduced by leading congressional Republicans will pass the U.S. Senate.

“I think it’s chances in the Senate right now without modification are pretty slim,” Tester said.

House Republicans unveiled the American Health Care Act Wednesday as their long awaited bill to repeal and replace the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.

Tester, who voted for Obamacare in 2010, said he might consider supporting a replacement that protects access to healthcare and increase affordability, but the current proposal does not meet those standards. He said multiple independent reports show the new proposal would insure millions fewer.   

“That does is not improving access.” Tester said.

He added that as he has talked to hospital personnel throughout Montana, many worry that if the number of uninsured goes up, hospitals will be forced to provide care to people who can’t pay for it. As a result, many hospitals would be in danger of closing.

Tester said the proposal would also hurt Medicaid.  

Under the proposal, the Medicaid expansion at the heart of Obamacare that has been implemented in 31 states including Montana would be halted by 2020 if states could not pick up the cost.

Tester said that while parts of the bill that expand health savings accounts would be  good for people with high incomes, people with lower incomes do not have the money needed to put into such an account to save for their health care needs. He also leveled a similar criticism of a proposal in the bill to create high risk pools.

“The problem is they are very expensive, and if you’ve got money, it gets your pre- existing conditions covered, and if you don’t, you can’t. That is a problem,” Tester said.