NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital CEO Steven Corwin, MD, is worried about several aspects of the proposed American Health Care Act, the Republican plan to replace Obamacare.

“Rolling back the Medicaid expansion in 2020 is going to create a real problem,” Corwin said on CBS This Morning. “One of every three New York City residents is on Medicaid. So this is a big deal.”

New York City-based NewYork-Presbyterian, which serves more than 4 million patients a year, is an academic medical center affiliated with Columbia University Medical Center and Weill Cornell Medical Center.

Corwin also pointed out that $800 billion is slated to be cut from the proposed Medicaid program over the next 10 years. He said that is another big problem because many people will not be insured.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office on March determined there would be 24 million fewer insured by 2026 under the Republican-sponsored healthcare bill.

CBO also calculated the American Health Care Act would reduce the federal deficit by $337 billion over 10 years.

“I think we have to, as a country, decide is healthcare a right or is it a privilege?” Corwin added. “If it’s a right, then we’ve got to insure everybody. If we want to ultimately control the cost of healthcare, you’ve got to insure people.”

As such, the plan needs to subsidize people more and it needs to keep the individual mandate, he said, adding that the current bill does not do that.

“Otherwise you cannot have a functioning insurance market.” he said. “You’ve got to take care of poor people. I think we have to come to grips with that.” 

Twitter: @Bernie_HITN
Email the writer: bernie.monegain@himssmedia.com

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