Loebsack a 'no,' Blum a 'maybe' on House GOP health plan

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Eastern Iowa's two U.S. House representatives are a hard 'no' and a 'maybe' on the latest version of a GOP plan to replace the Affordable Care Act.

Republican Rep. Rod Blum of the 1st District said he is undecided, but can see himself getting to 'yes' depending on the bill's final draft. With GOP leaders showing a willingness to make changes 'to get the 'no's' to 'yes,'' Blum is withholding judgment.

'It's never over until it's over, especially on this bill,' Blum said Wednesday during a break between Capitol Hill committee meetings.

Read also: House to vote Thursday on healthcare as Trump presses Republican ranks

But Democratic Rep. Dave Loebsack of the 2nd District said he isn't having any trouble deciding to oppose an attempt to replace the law, popularly known as Obamacare.

'It's a terrible bill and it's going to hurt far too many people,' he said in an interview Wednesday in his Rayburn House Office Building.

A factor in getting Blum on board is the same component that Loebsack said would cause tens of thousands of Iowans to potentially lose coverage. That's the GOP plan to deal with pre-existing conditions by having the federal government subsidize high-risk pools.

For Blum, that means people with pre-existing conditions would have access to affordable coverage.

After a meeting with President Donald Trump, one Republican 'no' vote flipped to 'yes' when $8 billion over five years was added to funding for states that opt out of the law in order to lower costs for sick people and those with pre-existing conditions whom insurance companies could charge higher premiums. That was on top of $15 billion in the GOP plan.

'That to me is a beautiful thing,' Blum said. Not only would it lower premiums for people with pre-existing conditions, he said, but it would mitigate one of the big drivers of premium increases.

'It's all speculative,' Loebsack said about the idea. 'Whatever the other side says, there will be no guarantees any longer that those who have pre-existing conditions are necessarily going to be covered.

'No matter what they claim, they are going to have to try to deal with that issue, it opens a door that should never be opened,' the Iowa City Democrat said. 'As far as I'm concerned, it was slammed shut by the ACA and should stay shut.'

Loebsack insists he's not opposed to tweaks.

'I've voted for some of the changes,' Loebsack said, explaining he's heard from people who think that in some cases premiums and deductibles are too high. 'Not everyone is as happy as they should be … but I don't want to repeal the ACA because the replacement they're talking about is far inferior.'

In addition to covering pre-existing conditions, Blum wants to make sure the proposed American Health Care Act lowers premium costs for the 176 million Americans who get coverage through their employers.

'I want to make sure that we do things to get rid of some of these insane mandates and the crazy rules and regulations on insurance companies, so the premiums for people who work can come down,' he said.

l Comments (319) 398-8375; James.Lynch@TheGazette.com.