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Londrigan criticized for supporting program that reduces hospital funding

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Illinois

* Rodney Davis campaign…

Last week, Betsy Londrigan, Nancy Pelosi’s candidate for Congress in IL-13, held a press conference via Zoom. The first question Londrigan received was concerning her support for Medicare X, the Medicare public option plan, which achieves health care “cost savings” by cutting funding for hospitals, doctors and nurses by nearly $800 billion over a decade, according to a non-partisan review of the plan. Londrigan was asked to respond to the review, but dodged the question and stuck to her talking points instead.

“Londrigan refuses to talk about her support for Medicare X because she knows her plan would have dire consequences for health care workers and patients across central Illinois. The Londrigan-backed Medicare X plan would result in $800 billion in cuts for hospitals, doctors and nurses. Advocating for massive health care cuts in the middle of a global pandemic is dangerous; unfortunately, that’s Londrigan’s plan.” – Aaron DeGroot, Davis campaign spokesperson

Betsy Londrigan announced her support for Medicare X last fall. Since then, the American Hospital Association has spoken out against the dire consequences of the Londrigan-backed Medicare X plan, if it ever went into effect.

The Londrigan-backed Medicare X plan achieves health care “cost savings” by cutting funding for hospitals, doctors and nurses by nearly $800 billion over a decade, according to research conducted on behalf of the American Hospital Association (AHA).

* OK, about that $800 billion figure. From the American Hospital Association’s study…

The spending reductions occur among populations who previously had private coverage and are the result of lower prices under the public plan.

For those who previously had ESI and non-group coverage, spending would fall by 4 percent and 30 percent, respectively. The larger non-group spending impact is driven by both higher per- person spending and higher take-up rates among that population. Among those uninsured in the baseline, we estimate spending would increase by 10 percent, which is driven by higher service utilization rates for those gaining insurance coverage. This increase in spending for the originally uninsured partially offsets the reduction in spending among the other groups. […]

We still forecast high-levels of public plan enrollment that reflects some coverage gains among the uninsured but is mostly driven by crowd-out of commercial coverage. Over the period from 2025 to 2034, health care spending for the relevant population would decline by 8 percent, with hospital spending being more affected than other types of spending. […]

We also find that the revised bill would produce larger spending reductions than the original bill. This is partially the result of one-year change in full implementation (from 2024 to 2025) and medical price inflation. In addition, we find higher take-up in the public plan among both the uninsured and non-group enrollees. Higher uninsured take-up decreases spending impacts and higher non-group take-up increases spending impacts. We find the latter effect exceeds the former, resulting in slightly larger health care spending reductions.

* This congressional district has a huge number of major regional hospitals, likely the most in Illinois and perhaps one of the most in the country. Those hospitals are significant local employers and they also drive technological development. Not to mention that hospitals have been especially hard-hit during the COVID-19 pandemic. Then again, millions of Americans have lost their employer-based insurance coverage this year.

So, I asked the Londrigan campaign for a response.

* Here’s her campaign manager Jacob Plotnick…

When she is elected, Betsy Dirksen Londrigan will look to support a plan to expand access to affordable health care that protects coverage for people with pre-existing conditions and does not force people off of their private insurance or make cuts to hospitals.

Congressman Davis is trying to divert attention away from the fact that he is partnering with the Trump administration to overturn the Affordable Care Act through the courts which would have an immediate and terrible effect on millions of Americans with pre-existing conditions. After voting 11 times to repeal health care protections for people with pre-existing conditions, supporting a plan that would have charged older Illinoisans an age tax for their coverage, and repeatedly voting against bipartisan bills to lower the cost of prescription drugs, Davis is doubling down on his industry-friendly schemes that line the pockets of the insurance and pharmaceutical companies. He’s trying to muddy the water, but the facts are crystal clear. Congressman Davis wants to restrict access to health care and Betsy Dirksen Londrigan wants to expand it.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Jul 6, 20 @ 2:58 pm

Comments

===Nancy Pelosi’s candidate for Congress in IL-13===

I am surprised an Illinois GOP campaign spokesperson was able to string along so many sentences without popping in at least one or two Madigans.

I’m not sure this kind of association works, but if they want to keep trying to use it, okay.

Comment by Candy Dogood Monday, Jul 6, 20 @ 3:08 pm
I have reviewed material provided to the Department of Healthcare and Family Service from the Illinois Hospital Association for use in determining rates. We considered their material fiction because it was.

We inquired why they are saying over the next three years we can do this and that with the extra money. We pointed out three year old documents when they promised the same and asked them if they had followed through with their contractual obligations. They replied with crickets. Lobbyists will say anything to further their interests.

Comment by Al Monday, Jul 6, 20 @ 3:22 pm
Rodney Davis, one of Donald Trump’s favorite candidates…says a lot of stuff.

Comment by Dotnonymous Monday, Jul 6, 20 @ 3:50 pm
Until Davis can articulate a viable plan to enable small business owners and employees with pre-existing conditions to obtain functional health insurance once his party succeeds at their efforts to invalidate the ACA, it’s hard for me to take anything he says about health care seriously.

Comment by CEA Monday, Jul 6, 20 @ 4:05 pm
Healthcare is one of Rodney Davis’s worst areas, so why make it a focal point of the campaign?

Comment by Aspects Monday, Jul 6, 20 @ 4:08 pm
How does Davis feel about the Trump administration trying to end Obamacare?

Just asking…

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Jul 6, 20 @ 4:09 pm
Davis’s voting record on key healthcare issues (you can also click a link there to see his record on Medicare voting, too)-

https://www.healthreformvotes.org/congress/412536

Doesn’t look too favorable towards his constituents. Davis doesn’t have to make a hard vote and can spout the party line until, hopefully, it’s too late after the General this year. McConnell protects him from having to do that since anything, even strong bipartisanship legislation goes to the Senate to die these days thanks to Mitch.

https://www.lincolncourier.com/news/20200701/londrigan-backs-improvements-to-affordable-care-act

Comment by Anon221 Monday, Jul 6, 20 @ 4:44 pm
Please keep circling back to health care, Rodney.

Comment by Nick Name Monday, Jul 6, 20 @ 5:08 pm
Davis can and will say anything, no matter how false. He knows his time is coming to an end. If the election is on healthcare Davis and the GOP been on the wrong side of it for decades. Time for him to go.

Comment by truthteller Tuesday, Jul 7, 20 @ 4:59 am
I don’t have enough information. Londrigan’s statement didn’t help.
Does Medicare X exist because some people in the House are big meanies, or does it exist in anticipation of some budgetary problem?

Comment by Da Big Bad Wolf Tuesday, Jul 7, 20 @ 6:16 am