How Ohio's Representatives Votes on the Health Care Bill

How Ohio's Representatives Votes on the Health Care Bill

With the House passing the bill to repeal and replacement of Affordable Care Act, we take a look at what representatives and senators from Ohio are saying.

What they are saying:

Rep. Pat Tiberi, R-Genoa Township, voted in favor:

"Today's vote is one part in our multi-step approach to carefully transition to a patient-centered system where people have better access to quality care at a price they can afford. It ensures that no one can be denied coverage based on pre-existing conditions. It will also give states additional flexibility and resources to meet the health care needs of their populations if they show they can drive down costs and boost coverage.

This fight to fix our health care system isn't over. As the Senate considers the reforms in AHCA, I urge my colleagues in the House and the Trump administration to continue to focus on additional steps we can take to restore the free market, increase choices, lower costs and put Medicaid on a sustainable financial path so it is available for the most vulnerable patients. After seven years of Obamacare's broken promises, my constituents and all Americans deserve no less."

Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Niles, voted no: "The Republican vote today to repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with

"The Republican vote today to repeal the Affordable Care Act and replace it with Trumpcare will have devastating consequences for hard working families, and is an absolute betrayal of everything we stand for as Americans. House Republicans' message to the American people? Get to the back of the line – behind insurance companies, HMO's, and special interests. They took a bill that that didn't reduce the cost of premiums, that didn't expand health coverage for all, that didn't protect people with pre-existing conditions and that nobody liked, and nobody wanted, and decided it was good policy. This is a dark day for the United States House of Representatives and our country."

Rep. Steve Stivers, voted in favor:

Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-Jefferson Township, voted no:

"Today, I stood with countless Americans everywhere who oppose Trumpcare by voting against this misguided bill that was hastily-written. Trumpcare will be a prescription for disaster for more than 129 million Americans with pre-existing conditions—not to mention seniors, women, people with disabilities, students with disabilities and working families. Trumpcare will strip healthcare away from at least 24 million Americans, including nearly one million Ohioans, and provides a totally unnecessary tax cut to the super wealthy. The American people spoke out—healthcare should be a right for all, not just the privileged few."

Rep. Bill Johnson, R-Marietta, voted in favor:

"The AHCA will: dismantle Obamacare taxes; eliminate the individual and employer mandate penalties (which forced millions on to plans they don't want and can't afford); modernize and strengthen Medicaid; allow young people to stay on their parents' plan until they are 26; expand health savings accounts; establish a Patient and State Stability Fund to give states the flexibility to further reduce costs for their citizens;, and, very importantly, guarantee coverage to those with pre-existing conditions.

"Pre-existing conditions ARE covered, despite the false claims by some. Nobody can be charged higher premiums if they keep their coverage. Under Obamacare, insurers are fleeing the marketplace, and at the current rate, those with AND without pre-existing conditions will lose their health insurance. Today, the House kept the promise to stop the collapse of Obamacare.

Rep. Mike Turner, R-Dayton, voted no:

"I ultimately could not support the American Health Care Act. This bill will leave our most vulnerable citizens with inadequate health coverage. I cannot support a health plan to replace Obamacare that puts my constituents' health benefits at risk.

"I have repeatedly voiced my concerns to the White House and House leadership. I will continue to work with them and my colleagues in a bipartisan effort to enact health care reforms that ensure patients have affordable access to the insurance coverage they need."

"The AHCA keeps in place protections for pre-existing conditions while giving states more flexibility to improve their health care marketplaces and bring down the cost of insurance. At the same time, the bill repeals Obamacare's burdensome mandates and costly taxes that hurt Ohio families and small businesses, and it establishes a Patient and State Stability Fund that will provide funding to states so they can implement policies that work best for their citizens. The legislation also makes needed reforms to the Medicaid program while ensuring a stable transition during the implementation of the AHCA.

"Our health care system desperately needs rescuing from the disaster that is Obamacare, and that's why I voted to pass the American Health Care Act and provide much needed relief for Ohioans."

Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Troy, voted in favor:

"While it falls short of Republican campaign promises and the Better Way agenda, the passage of the AHCA marks an important step forward towards fixing our broken health care economy. Reforms to Medicaid, work requirements for able-bodied adults, and defunding Planned Parenthood are no small victories. Americans are actively suffering under Obamacare and this bill brings much-needed and long-promised relief.

Rep. Steve Chabot, R-Cincinnati, voted in favor:

"The American people deserve a whole lot better than what they're currently getting under Obamacare. Premiums have been skyrocketing, deductibles are so high that many people who technically have health care coverage under Obamacare, can't afford to use it, and insurance companies have been dropping out of the health care exchanges left and right. Quite simply, Obamacare is close to a death spiral, if it's not already in one.

"The legislation the House passed today is the first step to getting our health care system back on the right path. The House bill takes the power over health care decisions out of the hands of the bureaucrats in Washington and returns it to doctors and patients. Additionally, in the place of one-size-fits-all federal mandates, it gives states the ability, if they choose, to craft health care solutions that work better for local patients, while at the same time guaranteeing that those with pre-existing conditions cannot be denied health care coverage."

Rep. Marcia Fudge, D-Cleveland, voted no:

"TrumpCare means catastrophic increases in health costs, more than 24 million hard-working Americans losing health coverage, a crushing age tax, and stealing from Medicare. The bill hurts the elderly, the sick, and the poor, and rewards the young, the wealthy, and the healthy. The supposed ‘improvements' did nothing but make TrumpCare worse and jeopardize the lives of more than 134 million Americans with pre-existing conditions.

"President Trump and the GOP promised ‘health care for everyone.' Instead, they rammed through a bill that provides the exact opposite. All to gain a political win for a President less popular than ObamaCare itself.

Rep. Bob Gibbs, R-Avon, voted in favor:

"Since I first got to Congress, one of my top priorities has been to get rid of Obamacare. Today, I voted to provide relief to the millions of Americans impacted by Obamacare's individual mandate, its taxes and penalties, and the regulations that have driven up insurance costs for so many Americans. Obamacare is collapsing and the American people are suffering because of it. We cannot afford the status quo with premiums set to skyrocket again next year and insurance companies continuing to pull out of exchanges, leaving Americans with fewer options. This bill continues the process of repealing and replacing Obamacare with a plan that lowers costs, increases choices, and gets rid of the individual mandate.

"Introducing free market principles and incentivizing the use of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) is an effective way to lower costs and return the power of healthcare decision-making to patients. This bill expands on the ability to use HSAs, continues protections for Americans with pre-existing conditions, and provides support for states to create high risk pools to help low-income Americans afford health care. It also boosts funding for hospitals that have a high proportion of Medicaid and Medicare patients.

How others voted:

In favor: Rep. Brad Wenstrup, R-Cincinnati and Rep. Jim Renacci, R-Wadsworth.

And what the senators are saying...

"The status quo on health care is unsustainable. Premiums and deductibles continue their steep climb, and the skyrocketing cost of health care is hurting Ohio families and small businesses. There's only one insurance company in more than one-third of Ohio counties, which is leaving Ohioans with fewer choices and higher costs. Congress must take responsible action that lowers health care costs, but these changes must be made in a way that does not leave people behind.

"I've already made clear that I don't support the House bill as currently constructed because I continue to have concerns that this bill does not do enough to protect Ohio's Medicaid expansion population, especially those who are receiving treatment for heroin and prescription drug abuse. We have an opioid crisis in this country, and I'm going to continue to work with my colleagues on solutions that ensure that those who are impacted by this epidemic can continue to receive treatment."

This article was originally published by The Columbus Dispatch on May 5, 2017.