Recipients Removed From The Affordable Care Act

HELLO, I’M JENNIFER CRAWFORD. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US OVER THREE-QUARTERS OF A MILLION PEOPLE ENROLLED IN THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT ARE SET TO BE REMOVED FROM THE PUBLIC HEALTH CARE EXCHANGE. THIS DECISION WAS ANNOUNCED EARLIER THIS WEEK BY VICE PRESIDENT JD VANCE. HE ALLEGED THE ACCOUNTS WERE FRAUDULENT OR NOT REAL PEOPLE TO BEGIN WITH. >> IF THE SYSTEM WERE ON THE ONE HAND, BROKERS ARE PAID MONEY TO FEED PATIENTS INTO THE SYSTEM. ON THE OTHER HAND, THE GOVERNMENT ISN'T EVEN CHECKING WHETHER THE PEOPLE ENROLLED ARE ACTUALLY ELIGIBLE FOR THE PROGRAM. WHAT DO YOU HAVE? OF COURSE, RAMPANT RAMPANT FRAUD. >> VANCE ESTIMATES THE REMOVAL OF THE UNRELEASED LINKED TO ALLEGED FRAUD COULD SAVE TAXPAYERS MORE THAN 2 BILLION DOLLARS. BUT SOME HEALTH EXPERTS ARE WORRIED LEGITIMATE ENROLLEES COULD BE CAUGHT UP IN THE CRACKDOWN. HEALTHCARE RESEARCH, NONPROFIT KFF REPORTS THAT FLORIDA LEADS THE NATION IN MARKETPLACE ENROLLMENT WITH MORE THAN 4 AND A HALF MILLION ENROLLEES. FOR MORE, I'M JOINED BY MARY MAYHEW, THE PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE FLORIDA HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION. SOME POLICY MAKERS ARE DISPUTING THE CLAIMS OF FRAUD. WHAT IS YOUR PERSPECTIVE ON WHY THE INDIVIDUALS WERE REMOVED FROM THE ACA? >> FIRST OF ALL, WE LIVE IN A WORLD OF LIMITED RESOURCES. SO WE CERTAINLY SUPPORT EFFORTS TO ADDRESS AND COMBAT FRAUD SO THAT OUR LIMITED RESOURCES ARE TRULY GOING TO THOSE WHO NEED ACCESS TO THEM, TOO. IN THIS CASE, ENSURE ACCESS TO MEANINGFUL HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE. PART OF OUR CONCERNS WITH THE OVERARCHING EFFORT BY THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT IS THIS. THIS IS THE SAME ADMINISTRATION THAT VEHEMENTLY OPPOSED THE ENHANCED PREMIUM SUBSIDIES FOR INDIVIDUALS GAINING ACCESS TO THE ACA MARKETPLACE. WE'RE JUST CONCERNED ABOUT HOW AGGRESSIVELY THE EFFORT IS OCCURRING AND THAT PEOPLE WHO TRULY ARE ELIGIBLE, MAYBE LOSING VITAL HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE. >> SO YOU BELIEVE THIS IS IMPACTING PEOPLE THAT WE'RE NOT PART OF A FRAUDULENT CLAIM? AND IF SO, WHAT OPTIONS DO PEOPLE HAVE NOW? >> WHAT EVERYONE NEEDS TO UNDERSTAND IS THAT FLORIDA HAS LED THE COUNTRY AND THE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS GAINING ACCESS TO HEALTH INSURANCE COVERAGE THROUGH THE MARKETPLACE. THE PREMIUM SUBSIDIES, THE PREVIOUS ENHANCED PREMIUM SUBSIDIES HAVE BEEN CRITICAL. WHAT WE KNOW IS THAT WHEN THOSE ENHANCED PREMIUM SUBSIDIES EXPIRED AT THE END OF 2025, OUR HOSPITALS HAVE ABSOLUTELY SEEN A DRAMATIC INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF PATIENTS WHO ARE NOW UNINSURED. >> WHAT CAN BE DONE TO LOWER THE PRICE OF HEALTH INSURANCE FOR FLORIDA FAMILIES. >> WELL, THAT'S THE IRONY HERE. WHEN AN INDIVIDUAL HAS THE PEACE OF MIND OF A HEALTH INSURANCE CARD IN THEIR WALLET, IT MEANS THEY HAVE TIMELY ACCESS TO PHYSICIANS TO PRIMARY CARE. WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE THAT CARD IN YOUR WALLET, YOU END UP USING THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT FOR OFTEN PRIMARY CARE SERVICES OR YOUR SITUATION HAS DETERIORATED. AND NOW YOU'RE IN THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT FOR A CRISIS THAT HE'S A VERY EXPENSIVE POINT OF ENTRY. SO WE'RE MOVING PEOPLE AND DENYING ACCESS TO COVERAGE ACTUALLY EXACERBATES THE HEALTH CARE AFFORDABILITY CRISIS. >> HOW SIGNIFICANT IS THE IMPACT OF HIGH INFLATION ON HEALTH COSTS? >> THAT HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR QUITE SOME TIME, PARTICULARLY AS WE EMERGED FROM THE PANDEMIC. THERE ARE 2 COMPONENTS PRIMARILY FOR HOSPITALS ANYWAY, IN TERMS OF THEIR COSTS, IT'S OUR WORKFORCE. AND THE SALARIES PAID TO OUR PHYSICIANS, TO OUR NURSES, TO OUR ALL OF OUR STAFF AND THEN THE COST OF PHARMACEUTICALS AND MEDICAL SUPPLIES THAT DRIVES OVER 60% OF A HOSPITAL'S BUDGET AND THOSE HAVE BEEN INCREASING BY OVER 25% OVER THE LAST 2 OR 3 YEARS. >> IS THERE ANYTHING THAT CAN BE DONE TO MAINTAIN COVERAGE WITH OPTIONS LIKE THE ACA BEING ELIMINATED? >> WE ACTUALLY BELIEVE THAT CONGRESS NEEDS TO REVISIT ITS PREVIOUS POSITION. WE KNOW THAT WE HAD BIPARTISAN SUPPORT AMONG FLORIDA'S CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION TO, IN FACT, EXTEND THE ENHANCED PREMIUM TAX CREDITS AGAIN, WE HAD OVER 4 MILLION FLORIDIANS GETTING ACCESS TO THE INDIVIDUAL MARKET THROUGH THE MARKETPLACE. IT'S ALSO CRITICALLY IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND STATES ACROSS THE COUNTRY LONG BEFORE THE ACA HAVE BEEN STRUGGLING WITH AFFORDABLE INDIVIDUAL COVERAGE AND AFFORDABLE COVERAGE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES. MANY OF THESE INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE GAINED ACCESS TO COVERAGE THROUGH THE MARKETPLACE ARE WORKING AND THEY'RE WORKING IN SMALL BUSINESSES WHERE HEALTH INSURANCE IS NOT AVAILABLE TO THEM. WE DO BELIEVE THAT CONGRESS NEEDS TO ABSOLUTELY STRENGTH IN ITS SUPPORT FOR THE MARKETPLACE. THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE IGNORE FRAUD. BUT THE 2 SHOULD NOT BE MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE. THANK YOU FOR JOINING US TODAY. MARY MAYHEW WITH THE FLORIDA HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION.