Three ranking members of Congress have sent a letter to the chairmen of their respective committees asking for public hearings on the impact of the Republican plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act, before the GOP makes the move through a simple majority vote.
Early Thursday morning, the Senate approved a resolution that would allow Republicans to repeal the ACA with a simple majority vote, using budget reconciliation.
The bill is expected to pass in the House on Friday.
The majority has declared its intent to immediately pass legislation to repeal the ACA without a replacement, the January 12 letter states.
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During a news conference Wednesday, President-elect Donald Trump said a replacement of the ACA would occur at the same time as a repeal, possibly on the same day.
In the letter, Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr., D-New Jersey, Ways and Means Ranking Member Richard Neal, D-Massachusetts and Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott, D-Virginia, told the chairman that public deliberation through open policy debate is essential on the House floor before any action is taken.
The members said this happened when the ACA was passed. The House held 79 committee hearings and markups over a span of two years, they said.
Beyond the impact of the loss of health insurance to at least 20 million Americans, the ACA is an economic driver, representing nearly 18 percent of the nation's gross domestic product.
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Efforts to repeal the ACA could create chaos in the insurance market and endanger healthcare jobs, they said.
"Given the dramatic and unprecedented nature of the changes the Republicans are proposing, namely taking insurance and financial security away from millions of Americans, we ask that regular order be followed," they said. "This should be true for any budget resolution and reconciliation instructions, as well as for any replacement plan, should the Republicans propose one."
During a press conference Thursday, Neal talked about the consequences of an ACA repeal on Medicare and Medicaid.
Republicans have talked about transitioning the current Medicare system to a voucher initiative.
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The ACA has extended Medicare Trust Fund insolvency for ten years, Neal said.
Most hospitals derive at least half of their revenue from Medicare, he said.
Half of residents in nursing homes have Medicaid, he said. What's not well known is that Medicaid is also a source of funding for opioid addiction.
"We need to understand, ACA, Medicare and Medicaid are now wed," he said. "The reason mom and dad aren't living in the attic is because of Medicare, Medicaid and the ACA."
The insurance market cannot remain stable without the individual mandate, which the GOP has said would be eliminated.
"For insurance risk, we need healthy people," he said. "Insurance works on the basis of shared risk."
Twitter: @SusanJMorse