The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health held a hearing on Thursday to discuss how the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has impacted patient access to care.
American Enterprise Institute Resident Fellow Dr. Scott Gottlieb testified that having health coverage doesn’t guarantee access to care, and many who enrolled in plans through ACA have “narrow options” when it comes to doctors and drugs.
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) said the taxes and mandates imposed by ACA have forced insurance companies to limit provider networks.
“It is the sickest Americans who are being hurt the most,” Upton said. “Patients with cancer, HIV/AIDS, multiple sclerosis and autoimmune diseases who are purchasing silver plans through the healthcare exchanges are facing coinsurance rates often as high as 40 percent of the cost of their drug. On average, patients are paying 130 percent more in out-of-pocket costs for medicines in silver plans on the healthcare exchanges when compared to employer-sponsored coverage.”
The ACA constricts the health insurance marketplace and limits consumer choice by imposing mandates on benefits that lead to higher costs, Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Texas) said.
“Millions of health plans have been canceled because of these government-imposed restrictions,” Burgess, a physician and the vice chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, said. “Worse yet, plans sold on health insurance exchanges are leaving people functionally uninsured. Patients are being subjected to higher and higher deductibles and other out-of-pocket costs. They now lack critical access to their doctors and vital prescription medication.”
The law has also led to uncertainty among physicians about existing contracts with insurers and how that impacts participation in an exchange plan network, Burgess said.
“This committee should strive to hold the president to his word and ensure that patients have the ability to keep their doctor and their choice of insurance,” Burgess said. “The only way to do this is by rescinding burdensome laws and regulations.”