More Than 300 Advocacy Groups Oppose Graham-Cassidy

Washington, D.C. - More than 300 health care advocacy groups, including several representing Mainers, oppose the Graham-Cassidy health care proposal. This astonishing number of advocacy groups representing physicians, patients, insurance providers, and hospitals highlighted a wide range of reasons for their opposition to the proposal, including:

• The American Medical Association wrote that the Graham-Cassidy proposal “would result in millions of Americans losing their health insurance coverage, destabilize health insurance markets, and decrease access to affordable coverage and care.”

• The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association opposed the Graham-Cassidy proposal because it “contains provisions that would allow states to waive key consumer protections, as well as undermine safeguards for those with pre-existing medical conditions.”

• The Alzheimer’s Association wrote that “The proposed changes to Medicaid outlined in the Graham-Cassidy Amendment could have a drastic impact on [the more than 5 million Americans currently living with Alzheimer’s] given that more than 1 in 4 seniors with Alzheimer's and other dementias are currently on Medicaid.”

• The American Cancer Society urged Senators to vote “no” on the Graham-Cassidy proposal, citing that the bill could cause insurers to: “Charge cancer patients and survivors far higher rates to make coverage unaffordable; eliminate coverage for cancer care in their health plans; and re-institute arbitrary caps on annual and lifetime coverage.”

According to Avalere, a respected firm that specializes in health care policy, Maine would ultimately lose $1 billion between 2020 and 2026, $2 billion by 2027, and $17 billion by 2037. Huge Medicaid cuts down the road more than offset any short-term influx of money under this “give with one hand, take with the other” approach.

The Maine Hospital Association has also cited analysis that shows Maine could lose up to $1 billion over the next decade. This would be a serious loss to Maine where the hospitals, with the exception of the largest hospital in Portland, lost $50 million dollars in the aggregate last year. Some of our hospitals could not survive cuts of this magnitude, thus depriving local residents of easily accessible health care.

Groups in opposition to Graham-Cassidy include:

Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
AARP
Adult Congenital Heart Association
Alpha-1 Foundation
ALS Association
Alzheimer's Association
Alzheimer's Impact Movement
Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
America's Essential Hospitals
America’s Health Insurance Plans
American Academy of Actuaries
American Academy of Family Physicians
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
American College of Cardiology
American College of Emergency Physicians
American College of Physicians
American College of Preventive Medicine
American College of Rheumatology
American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
American College of Surgeons
American Diabetes Association
American Foundation for the Blind
American Health Care Association
American Heart Association
American Hospital Association
American Liver Foundation
American Lung Association
American Medical Association
American Nurses Association
American Occupational Therapy Association
Academy on Violence and Abuse
American Osteopathic Association
American Psychiatric Association
American Psychological Association
American Public Health Association
American Society for Addiction Medicine
American Society for Radiation Oncology
American Society of Clinical Oncology
American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Amputee Coalition
Arthritis Foundation
Association for Community Affiliated Plans
Association of American Medical Colleges
Association of Oncology Social Work
Association of Public Health Associations
Association of University Centers on Disabilities
Autism Society
Autism Speaks
Autistic Self Advocacy Network
Big Cities Health Coalition
Blue Cross Blue Shield Association
Cancer Support Community
CancerCare
Catholic Health Association
Center for Medicare Advocacy
Children’s Hospital Association
Coalition to Stop Opioid Overdose
Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities
COPD Foundation
Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Deadliest Cancers Coalition
Disability Rights Legal Center
Emergency Department Practice Management Association
Envision Healthcare
Epilepsy Foundation
Families USA
Family Voices
Federation of American Hospitals
Fight Colorectal Cancer
Genesis Healthcare***
HIV Medicine Association
Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association
Infectious Diseases Society of America
International Myeloma Foundation
JDRF
Kaiser Permanente
LeadingAge
Living Beyond Breast Cancer
Lung Cancer Alliance
Lutheran Services in America
Lymphoma Research Foundation
March of Dimes
Medicare Rights Center
Michael J. Fox Foundation
National Association of County and City Health Officials
National Association of Medicaid Directors
National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners
National Association of School Nurses
National Association of Social Workers
National Association of State Directors of Special Education
National Brain Tumor Society
National Center for Assisted Living
National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship
National Comprehensive Cancer Network
National Council for Behavioral Health
National Council of Urban Indian Health
National Foundation for Transplants
National Down Syndrome Congress
National Health Council
National Institute for Reproductive Health
National Kidney Foundation
National Network to End Domestic Violence
National Multiple Sclerosis Society
National Organization for Rare Diseases
National Patient Advocate Foundation
Ovarian Cancer National Alliance
Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society
Planned Parenthood
Prevent Cancer Foundation
Prevention Institute
Public Health Institute
Pulmonary Hypertension Association
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
Sara Collins, The Commonwealth Fund
Sarcoma Foundation of America
Susan G. Komen
The Arc
The Children's Cause for Cancer Advocacy
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
Trust for America's Health
United Steelworkers
Volunteers of America
VoteVets
WomenHeart

America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) – whose members include:

Affinity Health Plan
Aflac
AgeWell New York
Alignment Healthcare
AllCare
Allstate Insurance
AlohaCare
AMA Insurance Agency, Inc.
American Fidelity Assurance Company
American Republic Insurance Company
American Specialty Health Incorporated
Amerigroup Corporation
AmeriHealth
AmeriHealth Administrators
AmeriHealth Caritas Family of Companies
Anthem, Inc.
Arkansas BlueCross Blue Shield
Aspire Health Plan
AultCare Corporation
Avera Health Plans
AvMed Health Plan
Axis Global Accident & Health
Bankers Life and Casualty Company
Baptist Health Plan
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Georgia
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois
Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Louisiana
Blue Cross Blue Shield Blue Care Network of Michigan
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina
BlueCross BlueShield of Oklahoma
BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee
BlueCross BlueShield of Texas
BlueShield of Northeastern New York
Blue Cross of Idaho
Blue Shield of California
Cambia Health Solutions
Capital Blue Cross
Capital District Physicians´ Health Plan
Care 1st Health Plan
Care N’ Care Insurance Company, Inc.
CareConnect
CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield
CareMore Health Plan
CareSource
Celtic Insurance Company
CENTENE Corp.
Chinese Community Health Plan
CHRISTUS
Cigna Corporation
Clover Health
CNO Financial Group
Colorado Choice Health Plans/San Luis Valley HMO
Commonwealth Care Alliance
Community Health Network of Connecticut
ConnectiCare, Inc.
CoreSource
DAKOTACARE
Dean Health Plan, Inc.
Delta Dental Plans Association
DentaQuest Group, Inc.
Denver Health Medical Plan
EmblemHealth
Empire Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Express Scripts Medicare
Eyemed Vision Care HMO of Texas
Fallon Health
Family Care, Inc.
Federated Insurance Companies
FirstCare Health Plans
First Choice Health
Florida Blue
Fresenius Health Plans
Gateway Health
Geisinger Health Plans
Gen Re LifeHealth
Group Health Cooperative
Group Health Cooperative of Eau Claire
Guarantee Trust Life Insurance Company
Gundersen Health Plan, Inc.
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care
Health Alliance Medical Plan
Health Alliance Plan
Health Care Service Corporation
Health Tradition Health Plan
HealthEquity
Healthfirst, Inc.
HealthMarkets
HealthPartners
HealthPlan Services
Highmark Health
Hometown Health Plan
Horizon BC/BS of New Jersey
HSABank
Humana, Inc.
Independence Blue Cross, Philadelphia, PA
Independent Health
Indiana University Health Plans
InnovaCare Health Solutions
InnovAge Care Management
Insurance Administrative Solutions, L.L.C.
Inter Valley Health Plan
John Hancock Financial Services
Kaiser Permanente
L.A. Care
LifePlans, Inc.
LifeSecure Insurance Company
Lighthouse Guild/GuildNet
Long Term Care Partners, LLC
Magellan Health
MagnaCare
Martin’s Point Health Care
Medica Health Plan
Medical Card System (MCS)
Medical Mutual of Ohio
Memorial Hermann Health Insurance Company
Meridian Health Plan
Moda Health
Molina Healthcare
Munich Re America HealthCare
Mutual of Omaha Insurance Company
MVP Health Care
Neighborhood Health Plan
Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island
New York Life Insurance Company
Oscar Insurance Corporation
PacificSource Health Plans
Passport Health Plan
Peoples Health
Physicians Health Plan of Northern Indiana
Physicians Mutual Insurance Company
Piedmont Community Health Plan, Inc.
PreferredOne
Prominence Health Plan
Providence Health Plans
QualCare, Inc.
QualChoice of Arkansas
Regence BC/BS of Oregon
Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Utah
Regence Blue Shield
Regence BlueShield of Idaho
Resolution Health
Sanford Health Plans
San Francisco Health Plan
SCAN Health Plan
Security Health Plan of Wisconsin
Senior Health Insurance Company of Pennsylvania
Senior Whole Health, LLC
Sentara Healthcare
Sharp Health Plan
SilverScript Insurance Company
SummaCare
Sutter Health Plan
Starmark
State Farm Insurance Companies
Swiss Re America
TakeCare Insurance Co.
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans
Trillium Community Health Plan
TriPlus
Trusted Health Plan
Trustmark Insurance Company
Tufts Health Plan
UCare
UMB Bank Healthcare Services
UNICARE Life & Health Insurance Company
Unity Health Insurance of Wisconsin
Universal American Corp
University Health Alliance
UPMC Health Insurance Plans
USAA
VillageCareMAX
Virginia Premier
VIVA Health, Inc.
WEA Trust
Western Health Advantage
WPS Health Insurance
Zurich North America

***Genesis Healthcare has 1000+ employees in Maine.