releases: https://www.donnelly.senate.gov/newsroom/press/donnelly-will-oppose-partisan-effort-that-would-repeal-health-care-law-and-deny-insurance-coverage-to-hoosier-families
Data license: MIT · Data source: dwillis/congress-press
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| url | title | date | year | month | party | chamber | state | member_name | bioguide_id | domain | scraper | source | date_source | text | has_text | collected_at | updated_at |
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| https://www.donnelly.senate.gov/newsroom/press/donnelly-will-oppose-partisan-effort-that-would-repeal-health-care-law-and-deny-insurance-coverage-to-hoosier-families | Donnelly Will Oppose Partisan Effort That Would Repeal Health Care Law and Deny Insurance Coverage to Hoosier Families | 2015-12-03 | 2015 | 2015-12 | Democrat | House | IN | Joe Donnelly | D000607 | www.donnelly.senate.gov | legacy | Donnelly Will Oppose Partisan Effort That Would Repeal Health Care Law and Deny Insurance Coverage to Hoosier Families Senator highlights personal stories of Hoosiers who would lose health insurance if health care law were repealed Thursday, December 3, 2015 Washington, D.C. Today, U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly will vote against a partisan effort that would take away health insurance coverage for hundreds of thousands of Hoosiers, undercutting progress made by the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Donnelly will oppose legislation that is scheduled to come before the Senate as part of a budget process called reconciliation. The bill would repeal portions of the health care law and phase out the laws Medicaid expansion, eliminating the states Healthy Indiana Plan (HIP) 2.0, which covers 350,000 working Hoosiers. In January, Indiana Governor Pence embraced the opportunity made possible through the ACA to expand Medicaid through HIP 2.0, but seems to have forgotten. Donnelly said, My priority is to expand access to quality, affordable health care. Hundreds of thousands of Hoosiers have health insurance today because of the Affordable Care Act, and even our Governor has embraced the law to expand coverage for Hoosiers. Todays vote is a simple choice between continuing our effort to expand access to quality health care or returning to a broken system that denied health insurance because of pre-existing conditions and left millions with no other choice but to go to the emergency room for basic health care. Martha from Evansville said, We were able to get insurance and the health care we need thanks to the Affordable Care Act. The idea that it could be taken away is devastating. Its stressful that ACA repeal is a constant threat, because without the ACA we wouldnt have health insurance again. Its really frightening. About Martha:Martha is a community college instructor and a reading instructor; her husband is a minister with the United Methodist Church. Until signing up for coverage through the federal marketplace, Martha and her family went without insurance for a year. It was a particularly harrowing time because a number of members of Marthas family have pre-existing conditionsher son, Aidan, has Marfan syndrome, and Martha experiences debilitating migraines. A few years ago, the family was covered under a COBRA policy that cost $1,800 a month. When COBRA ran out, the family could not find affordable coverage on the private market. The family went into credit card debt to pay for health care and was close to filing bankruptcy. In 2014, Marthas family enrolled in coverage through the Marketplace. They were eligible for a tax credit subsidy to help them with the cost of their plan. If they lost that premium subsidy, Martha says her family would go back to being uninsuredwhich could have serious consequences on their physical and financial health. Laura from Fort Wayne said, I think people forget, or maybe just don't realize that the ACA is so much more than just access to insurance. For me it's the ability to stand straight, to walk on my worst days. It's returning to work after being out sooner rather than later, because I could see a doctor. It's the ability to search for an answer rather than sitting helplessly in a dark room while life passes by. It's preventative care rather than being forced into expensive medical bills because one has no other choice. It's the knowledge that somewhere, someone cares enough for all of those stuck in between to help, to meet us half way. The idea of that going away, it's scary. It's a return to the tough decisions, do I eat this week or do I fork over the out of pocket cost to see someone? Never mind that I can't breathe from coughing, what good is breathing if you haven't food? Those are the decisions someone without insurance, someone who qualifies for the ACA has to make. And I would genuinely hope that no one would want to see a fellow Hoosier in that place ever again. About Laura: Laura works a variety of part-time jobs, none of which offer insurance. She suffers from many chronic illnesses that require regular medical attention, like chronic back problems, hypoglycemia, chronic anemia, asthma, arthritis in her ankle, endometriosis, anxiety, PTSD and polycystic ovarian syndrome. She was denied insurance in the past due to her pre-existing conditions and went uninsured for four years, leading her to delay care. In 2014, she was able to enroll in a plan through the Marketplace with a tax credit subsidy. Laura has begun to seek care for her variety of ailments. Today, Laura is on the road to recovery and has made significant progress on treating her health conditions. If Laura were to lose access to her subsidy, she would be forced to once again stop treatment. As a result of the health care law: As many as 2.7 million Hoosiers with a pre-existing condition who can no longer be denied insurance coverage; Hoosiers under age 26 are now able to stay on their parents health plans; The expansion of Medicaid through HIP 2.0 has enabled more than 350,000 Hoosiers to gain coverage; The rate of uninsured in Indiana has dropped from 14 percent to 11.9 percent; and Expanded mental health and substance abuse disorder benefits to 1.2 million Hoosiers. In addition, Hoosiers have more options for health care coverage. According to the Department of Health and Human Services, in 2015, Indiana consumers had nine insurers to choose from in the individual marketplace, an increase from four in 2014. This year an average of 43 health plans were available to Hoosiers in their county, up from an average of 23 last year. ### | 1 | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z | 2026-03-30T12:14:52Z |