NTU urges all Representatives to vote “YES” on H.R. 1549, the “Helping Sick Americans Now Act.” This legislation would redirect $5 billion from the Prevention slush-fund, which is used to implement and enroll people in flawed insurance exchanges, and effectively subsidize community activist groups on behalf of the President’s health care boondoggle.
Rather than continue to pour funds down the bottomless pit of the misnamed “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” (PPACA), H.R. 1549 prioritizes spending by eliminating funding for broken programs and reallocating $4 billion to the Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan (PCIP), along with another $1 billion toward debt reduction. PCIP, a federal high-risk insurance pool that is meeting the real and immediate needs of taxpayers, has been closed to new applicants due to the shoddy policy and short-sightedness of PPACA. H.R. 1549 would help prevent the implementation of a new entitlement, making the ultimate replacement of PPACA with better alternatives easier to accomplish.
NTU urges all Representatives to vote “YES” on the Pitts/Upton amendment to H.R. 1549. This prudent amendment would completely eliminate the Prevention slush fund and would authorize the creation of state-based high risk pools, saving taxpayers $8 billion over ten years.
This important reform builds on the groundwork laid by H.R. 1549 and ensures the long-term sustainability of high-risk pools by replicating already successful state-based programs.
Roll call votes on H.R. 1549 and the Pitts/Upton amendment will be included in our annual Rating of Congress and a “YES” vote on each will be considered the pro- taxpayer position.
If you have any questions, please contact NTU Federal Affairs Manager Nan Swift at (703) 683-5700