In a letter (257 KB PDF) today
to Senate leaders, ACE and 18 other higher education associations
raised serious concerns about the Better Care Reconciliation Act of
2017, the Senate bill to “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act
(ACA).
The letter to Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) and Democratic
Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) emphasizes that it is critical that the bill
not leave the country—including colleges and universities, students and
families—worse off. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office issued its estimate on the bill Monday, saying it would increase the number of people without health insurance by 22 million by 2026.
The letter also drills down into the draft bill’s impact on higher
education. Of particular concern are the proposed cuts and other changes
to Medicaid, which will have a significant negative effect on state budgets.
“States would have to choose between providing health care for their
most vulnerable residents and investing in higher education,” the groups
write. “This would exacerbate the long-term decline in state support
for higher education and inevitably lead to increased tuition and
potentially cuts to state student financial aid programs, raising the
cost of attending college for students and their families.”
Academic medicine and teaching hospitals, which serve as critical
safety net providers and “are central to the future of health care in
our country,” also stand to lose heavily under the bill.
On the potential impact on students, the associations write that many
may lose access to health coverage—including mental health care—as a
consequence of the bill’s Medicaid cutbacks and changes to individual
market coverage requirements, while others relying on individual market
coverage may see an increase in their out-of-pocket expenses.
The bill also does not address an issue with the ACA that the higher
education community has sought to rectify: Eliminating the provision
that prevents students from using premium tax subsidies to purchase
student health insurance plans, which are designed to provide affordable
access to comprehensive primary and mental health care on campus.
The Senate was scheduled to vote Tuesday on a motion to proceed with
the bill. However, facing resistance from members of his own party,
McConnell delayed the vote until after the July 4 holiday.
The House passed its bill to repeal and replace the ACA on May 4.