Oregon Nurses, Physicians and Hospitals Respond to House Vote on AHCA
Today, members of the U.S. House of Representative voted to pass the American Health Care Act (AHCA), a bill which significantly alters the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and jeopardizes health coverage for the more than 400,000 Oregonians who gained health insurance coverage through the ACA.
The Oregon Medical Association (OMA), the Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) and the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems (OAHHS) oppose the current version of the AHCA, which would decrease Oregonians’ access to health care services.
Oregon’s hospitals, nurses and physicians remain committed to supporting health care reforms which preserve coverage for individuals on the Oregon Health Plan, advance Oregon’s health care transformation goals and increase all Oregonians’ access to affordable, high-quality health care.
“Oregon hospitals believe that the AHCA will cause serious damage to the progress our state has made on coverage, transformation and cost-savings. More importantly, we believe it will have deep and lasting negative impacts on the health of Oregonians. We cannot support this bill and urge the Senate to reject it,” said Andy Davidson, president and CEO, Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems.
“Repealing and replacing our nation’s health care with a system that costs more and covers less is irresponsible and unacceptable. Our country’s elected leaders must take immediate action to remedy this grave mistake and work together on health care reforms that increase all Americans’ access to high-quality health care. The Affordable Care Act has helped hundreds of thousands of Oregonians access preventative care, removed stigmas from people with pre-existing conditions and eliminated gender-based discrimination from the health insurance market. Today’s vote is disastrous step backwards which will decrease the quality of health care services Oregonians’ receive and raise prices for millions of Americans,” said Susan King, RN, MS, CEN, FAAN, executive director of the Oregon Nurses Association.
“While we acknowledge the Affordable Care Act needed improvements, the Oregon Medical Association is unable to support actions that will eliminate access to care for thousands of Oregon patients. We recognize and support policy concepts that utilize state and federal resources to provide all Oregonians access to an adequate level of medical services while enabling individuals to be responsible for their own needs. We hope Congress will continue to work to find solutions to secure the health insurance marketplace and ensure that Oregonians do not lose healthcare coverage,” said Bryan Boehringer, CEO of the Oregon Medical Association.
The Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) was founded in 1904 as the professional association for nurses in Oregon. It is a nonprofit association and a labor union representing nearly 15,000 Oregon nurses. ONA’s mission is to advocate for nursing, quality health care and healthy communities. For more information, visit www.OregonRN.org.
The Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems (OAHHS) is a statewide, nonprofit trade association that works closely with local and national government leaders, business and citizen coalitions, and other professional health care organizations to enhance and promote community health and to continue improving Oregon’s innovative health care community. See more at: www.OAHHS.org
The Oregon Medical Association (OMA) is an organization of over 8,000 physicians, physician assistants, medical and PA students organized to serve and support physicians in their efforts to improve the health of Oregonians. For more information, visit www.theOMA.org.
The Oregon Medical Association (OMA), the Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) and the Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems (OAHHS) oppose the current version of the AHCA, which would decrease Oregonians’ access to health care services.
Oregon’s hospitals, nurses and physicians remain committed to supporting health care reforms which preserve coverage for individuals on the Oregon Health Plan, advance Oregon’s health care transformation goals and increase all Oregonians’ access to affordable, high-quality health care.
“Oregon hospitals believe that the AHCA will cause serious damage to the progress our state has made on coverage, transformation and cost-savings. More importantly, we believe it will have deep and lasting negative impacts on the health of Oregonians. We cannot support this bill and urge the Senate to reject it,” said Andy Davidson, president and CEO, Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems.
“Repealing and replacing our nation’s health care with a system that costs more and covers less is irresponsible and unacceptable. Our country’s elected leaders must take immediate action to remedy this grave mistake and work together on health care reforms that increase all Americans’ access to high-quality health care. The Affordable Care Act has helped hundreds of thousands of Oregonians access preventative care, removed stigmas from people with pre-existing conditions and eliminated gender-based discrimination from the health insurance market. Today’s vote is disastrous step backwards which will decrease the quality of health care services Oregonians’ receive and raise prices for millions of Americans,” said Susan King, RN, MS, CEN, FAAN, executive director of the Oregon Nurses Association.
“While we acknowledge the Affordable Care Act needed improvements, the Oregon Medical Association is unable to support actions that will eliminate access to care for thousands of Oregon patients. We recognize and support policy concepts that utilize state and federal resources to provide all Oregonians access to an adequate level of medical services while enabling individuals to be responsible for their own needs. We hope Congress will continue to work to find solutions to secure the health insurance marketplace and ensure that Oregonians do not lose healthcare coverage,” said Bryan Boehringer, CEO of the Oregon Medical Association.
The Oregon Nurses Association (ONA) was founded in 1904 as the professional association for nurses in Oregon. It is a nonprofit association and a labor union representing nearly 15,000 Oregon nurses. ONA’s mission is to advocate for nursing, quality health care and healthy communities. For more information, visit www.OregonRN.org.
The Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems (OAHHS) is a statewide, nonprofit trade association that works closely with local and national government leaders, business and citizen coalitions, and other professional health care organizations to enhance and promote community health and to continue improving Oregon’s innovative health care community. See more at: www.OAHHS.org
The Oregon Medical Association (OMA) is an organization of over 8,000 physicians, physician assistants, medical and PA students organized to serve and support physicians in their efforts to improve the health of Oregonians. For more information, visit www.theOMA.org.