The GOP’s healthcare reform bill is moving fast. Medical professionals want them to slow down

Republicans have started the process of repealing the Affordable Care Act and replacing it with the controversial American Health Care Act.

Groups that represent healthcare professionals have offered their opposition to the legislation. And at the American Nurses Association annual meeting, held this week in Tampa, Fla., top representatives reiterated that they are pressing President Trump and Congress to heed their concerns about the bill.

Legislators provided only a 36-hour window for the bill to undergo public review before bringing it in front of two House committees, which have both approved the legislation. The ANA is concerned with how fast the process is moving, and has penned a letter urging Congress to slow it down, said Tim Casey, the ANA’s senior associate director of governmental affairs.

House Speaker Paul Ryan has said he wants to move to a full vote within two weeks, putting pressure on advocacy groups like the ANA to quickly make their case to representatives.

“What we’ve seen out of this process, unfortunately, is a less transparent process than we’ve been used to on major reform,” Casey said. “The American Nurses Association is obviously a leading voice in the health policy debate. Without having that opportunity to provide a voice, we’re not going to get the best reform.”

The group is not alone in its concerns; other industry groups representing healthcare professionals have also spoken out against the bill.

“We cannot support the AHCA as drafted because of the expected decline in health insurance coverage and the potential harm it would cause to vulnerable patient populations,” wrote Dr. James Madara, president of the American Medical Association, in a letter to the chairmen of the two House committees that reviewed the bill.

At least 18 million people could lose their health insurance in the first year after an ACA repeal if the plan is not replaced, according to the Congressional Budget Office. The CBO has not yet scored the AHCA legislation, a concern that has been raised by groups including the American Hospital Association.

“We are talking about taking major steps backward,” said Pam Cipriano, president of the ANA, during a panel discussion at the group’s meeting. The industry association was an early and active supporter of President Obama’s healthcare law and is now voicing its concerns about its potential replacement.

Cipriano outlined the group’s core priorities: preserving access to care, improving quality of care, reducing costs and advocating for its workforce. She urged nurses to make themselves visible to journalists and on social media while also pressing their local representatives to make sure their voices are heard.

Other ANA leaders echoed that message, emphasizing that nurses have an insider perspective on healthcare issues and are trusted by members of the public.

“Be informed and have your elevator speech ready when people ask you about this,” said Jeff Douchette, vice president at the ANA Credentialing Center, during the panel. “Each of us can play a very important role if we give some pre-thought to what we’re going to say.”

The ANA is concerned about a number of AHCA provisions, such as the rollback of protections for people with preexisting conditions, especially if they have a gap in their health insurance coverage, Casey said.

“Our policy team was cranking nonstop last week trying to assess what the bill meant,” he said. “We will continue to use the tools that we have to voice our opinions.”

In the meantime, hospitals are putting many projects on hold as they assess a possible blow to their budgets.

With uncertainty over how many people will lose health insurance—and how much more uncompensated care they will provide—hospitals are delaying major purchases like CT scanners and electronic health records systems, said panelist Lillee Gelinas, editor-in-chief of American Nurse Today.

The American Hospital Association highlighted the potential cuts to state Medicaid programs as a provision of the bill that could threaten coverage for vulnerable individuals and ultimately reduce funding for healthcare providers.

At the ANA’s panel discussion, nurses took the mic during the Q&A to ask about how to get their legislators to listen to them.

“You have to stay engaged; your voice really matters,” Casey said. “There is a wave of engagement that I think lawmakers will have to pay attention to. It’s a long game but I think it’ll make a difference.”