Bay Ridge

Donovan to vote against Obamacare repeal bill

March 23, 2017 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle
U.S. Rep. Dan Donovan says a Medicaid provision within the American Health Care Act would be an unfair burden on New York City residents. Photo courtesy of Donovan’s office
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In a surprise move, U.S. Rep. Dan Donovan, the lone Republican in New York City’s congressional delegation, planned to buck his party’s leadership in the House of Representatives and vote against the GOP’s repeal of the Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare.

 

Donovan (R-Southwest Brooklyn-Staten Island) made his stunning announcement late Wednesday.

 

The GOP bill, called the American Health Care Act (AHCA), is supported by President Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan was scheduled to come up for a vote Thursday night.

Thursday marked the seventh anniversary of President Barack Obama signing the Affordable Care Act into law.

“Obamacare has burdened New York families with unaffordable premiums, rendered some insurance plans unusable because of high deductibles, and caused people to lose their doctors. But recognizing that the status quo is failing isn’t, on its own, a compelling reason to vote ‘yes’ on the current replacement plan,” Donovan said in a statement.

Donovan issued a caveat, however. He stated that he was opposed to the AHCA in its current form, leaving the door open to the possibility that significant changes in the legislation could cause him to change his mind.

But as of Thursday morning, Donovan was a firm no vote.

Over the past several weeks, Donovan met with hospitals, unions, nurses, doctors, insurers, representatives from the AARP, NAACP, SEIU 1199 and Central Labor Council as well as protestors to hear feedback on the AHCA, according to an aide.

Donovan pointed to the impact on senior citizens as a major reason for his decision.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimated that older Americans would see 25 percent increases in their insurance premiums as a result of the AHCA.

In addition, Donovan said that all of the hospitals in the 11th Congressional District, which he represents, who are the largest employers in the district, came out against the bill.

The Medicaid component of the AHCA is another factor, according to Donovan. A new provision tacked onto the bill at the last minute to satisfy Republicans from upstate New York would exempt New York state counties from contributing to the state’s Medicaid coffers.  But New York City is not included in that exemption. What that means, Donovan said, is that the city’s residents would be burdened with covering the state’s Medicaid expenses.

Donovan came under pressure from Democrats in his district who held protest demonstrations outside his Brooklyn and Staten Island offices to urge him to vote against the Obamacare repeal.

A few days before the repeal vote was to take place, a group of non-partisan freelance journalists upped the pressure by releasing a video showing Donovan’s constituents talking about the important of Obamacare in their lives.

I believe there were many factors at play in the congressman’s decision to vote against repeal, including the voice of our district hospitals and the Medicaid reimbursement amendment, which would penalize the city but not upstate. But I also believe that Rep. Donovan is being compelled to hear the voices for action and change in his district and that those voices are influential in his decision-making. I applaud the congressman’s decision to vote against repeal and AHCA but would remind him that we will still be here when the next healthcare vote comes around and plan on being every bit as vocal should it similarly jeopardize lives in south Brooklyn and Staten Island,” Courtney Scott, one of the filmmakers, told the Brooklyn Eagle via email.

Leaders of the group Move Forward Staten Island said they were pleased with Donovan’s decision.

“Donovan’s decision is illustrative of the collective power we have when we raise our voices and tell our stories,” said Julienne Verdi, the group’s chairperson and founder.

To view the pro-Obamacare video, visit https://vimeo.com/208978875. 

 

 

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