U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin wants to see the United States eventually implement a “Medicare for all” type health care program.
At a news conference Thursday in Urbana, the Illinois Democrat acknowledged that isn’t politically feasible with Republicans controlling both houses of Congress and the White House. However, Durbin said an interim step could be offering some type of “public option” as part of the Affordable Care Act’s insurance exchanges.
"...so that people go into the exchanges and have one not-for-profit-type Medicare program available -- a Medicare Advantage program, for example.”
The Congressional Budget Office says the Republican bill would lower health insurance premiums over the next 10 years, but some 22 million Americans would lose coverage -- two-thirds of them currently covered by Medicaid.
Durbin was joined by Illinois Health and Hospital Association spokesman Jeremy Flynn, who said the Republican bill could also have economic consequences for the state's health care industry.
“Two hundred fifty thousand people are employed in health care, so there’s a direct impact on that as well," Flynn said. "This bill puts that in jeopardy. If we reduce the ACA population alone, we’re looking at an impact of between 55,000 and 60,000 jobs.”
The Congressional Budget Office predicts the bill would slightly lower insurance premiums but estimates that 22 million Americans would lose health coverage over the next 10 years if the bill becomes law.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he wants to call a vote on the health care bill next week.