Michigan Hospitals say new Republican healthcare bill would gut insurance protections and health care coverage for thousands of Michiganders.
The bill is sponsored by US Senators Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy who say it would give states more control.
Laura Appel is with the Michigan Hospital Association. She said healthcare constitutes one sixth of the US economy and, what she calls haphazard bills that would completely rewrite the health care system just don’t make sense.
“People with pre-existing conditions would no longer have the protections that they have and could end up paying a whole lot more for their coverage if they previously had cancer or if their child had a birth defect or something like that.”
Appel said to argue that the bill is about giving states more power is disingenuous.
“To take eight billion dollars away from Michigan when we already have very little flexibility in our state’s general fund we would never be able to backfill from those federal cuts. It wouldn’t give Michigan flexibility it would force Michigan into some very difficult decisions.”
Appel said the entire process is being rushed.
“To try and do something very quickly that has the potential to do intentional and unintentional devastating change is inappropriate and that’s why we issued our statement saying this is simply unacceptable.”
Appel said the bill could result in the loss of coverage for the 650 thousand Michiganders using Healthy Michigan.