There are two sides to every issue, but I can’t accept misinformation when it comes to our health. I just saw a TV ad supporting the American Health Care Act which is irresponsible and callous in its twisting of the truth.

Rather than yelling at the TV, I’m sitting at my keyboard to counter those claims with information that has been substantiated by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office, which is tasked with reviewing all pending legislation for its impact on the American people. Twenty-three million people will lose their health insurance under this law, a fact that is conveniently missing from the TV ad. But among its other claims, the ad declares that the AHCA would:

• “lower costs.” (Not true, especially if you happen to be between the ages of 50 and 64 and don’t earn much. That group – which most needs good coverage but can least afford it – would face the largest insurance price hikes under the AHCA.)
• Provide “better coverage.” (Not true. One of the ways the AHCA aims to reduce insurance premiums is by stripping away minimum required benefits such as preventive care, hospitalization and mental health and substance use services. Of course the premiums may seem low – because they offer very little coverage. In fact, the CBO says some of the plans would be so bare bones that they wouldn’t even qualify as insurance.)
• Provide “protections for pre-existing conditions.” (Not true. The AHCA allows states to remove the pre-existing condition protections for people with cancer, diabetes, asthma and other illnesses and replace them with high-risk pools for those individuals. The problem is, the AHCA doesn’t provide enough funding for the high-risk pools, and experts including the CBO say those living with pre-existing conditions “would ultimately be unable to purchase comprehensive nongroup health insurance at premiums comparable to those under current law, if they could purchase it at all.”

Don’t take my word for it – or the CBO’s for that matter. All you need to do is look at the groups that oppose the AHCA such as AARP, American Cancer Society, Families USA, AFL-CIO, the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, the National Disability Rights Network, National Education Association, Children’s Defense Fund and countless others. Even America’s Health Insurance Plans – the national organization that represents insurance companies – has criticized the AHCA. These groups represent senior citizens, families, workers, consumers, healthcare professionals and patients. I trust them – not a hired TV spokesperson.

For fact-based information on the AHCA and its impact right here in New Jersey, visit our website to learn more about the 800,000 N.J. residents who could lose health insurance, the 1.8 million Medicaid beneficiaries whose care is threatened and the $4.4 billion in federal funds that New Jersey would lose. I truly believe the more you know about the AHCA, the louder you’ll say no to the AHCA. #kNOwAHCA

I have been thinking a lot about John F. Kennedy’s book Profiles in Courage, which outlined difficult political decisions made by U.S. senators over our nation’s history. Often the decision was a balance between what was right versus intense political pressure. Our N.J. Congressional Delegation faces a difficult vote this Thursday, when Paul Ryan’s American Health Care Act is up for a vote in the House of Representatives. Here are 10 reasons why I urge every member of our delegation to vote no:

New Jersey hospitals are working hard to reinvent healthcare to ensure continued quality and access through more efficient, effective healthcare services. That is essential as hospitals face significant federal Medicare cuts at the same time they are preparing to care for our aging population and the added demands of a greater number of insured individuals. “Value” is the bottom line – care that is high in quality but delivered efficiently and in the right setting.

New Jersey hospitals have been working to improve health, provide better care and reduce costs long before the enactment of the Affordable Care Act, but the ACA has pushed us to do more. To that end, N.J. hospitals are:

• Improving coordination of services across the continuum of care. Whether they are forming their own “accountable care organizations” or reaching out in greater collaboration with local post-acute partners, hospitals are forging new relationships, embracing technology like electronic health records and regional sharing of information and using new tools like the state’s Universal Transfer Form to ensure better communication and continuity of care.
• Testing new payment models that promote collaboration. 31 New Jersey hospitals have joined NJHA in a federal pilot project called “gainsharing,” which allows hospitals and physicians to work in collaboration to find ways to streamline patient care and reduce in-hospital costs.
• Investing resources, staff and energy to improving healthcare quality. NJHA’s Institute for Quality and Patient Safety is leading New Jersey hospitals in the federal quality improvement initiative called Partnership for Patients. In the first year of this effort, they have produced tremendous results that not only make care safer for patients, but also reduce healthcare costs in the long run. Those achievements include a 65 percent decline in pressure ulcers, a 45.8 percent decline in ventilator-associated pneumonia and additional improvements in reducing healthcare-associated infections and hospital readmissions.

A federal judge in Florida ruled today that the Affordable Care Act (a.k.a national healthcare reform) is unconstitutional. He sided with 26 states that filed a suit challenging the law’s authority to require individuals to purchase health insurance. One other court in Virginia had reached the same conclusion, while two other federal district courts have upheld the new law. What does this all mean?

Well, tonight we will listen to Fox, CNN and MSNBC speculate, but what it really means is that the constitutionality of the new law will have to be determined by the highest court in the land, the United States Supreme Court.

While the appeals proceed, N.J. hospitals will continue to care for all the uninsured who come to them for care, regardless of their ability to pay. We have to under New Jersey state law, and we want to because it is our mission.