Senate GOP Has No Plan To Help Millions Of Americans Losing Health Insurance During Pandemic
As millions of Americans slip into unemployment and lose their health insurance during a public health crisis, Senate Republicans still see no need to act on health care.
More than 36 million people have filed for unemployment benefits due to the economic fallout from the coronavirus pandemic, meaning millions will be left without health insurance. In mid May, left-leaning think tank Economic Policy Institute estimated 16.2 million people have lost health insurance once provided by their employer — how roughly half of Americans get their health insurance. That number could be as high as 26.8 million if those who lost their jobs don’t sign up for other coverage, the Kaiser Family Foundation found.
But the Republican majority in the Senate isn’t interested in pursuing additional emergency relief for those who suddenly find themselves uninsured.
“I’d like us to put in place a better program than the one we have, the Obamacare program, but getting that in place for the country to take advantage of in the next few weeks is just not very likely,” Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said.
Staff for Susan Collins referred HuffPost to previous comments the Maine senator made to Bangor Daily News that she was “disappointed” in President Donald Trump for not allowing a special enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act, but did not comment on Congress taking further action on health care specifically.
“I think that the enrollment period should have been reopened,” Collins said in the interview. “One of the reasons that I pushed the paycheck protection program so hard is that if we can keep people on their regular payroll, many more people will continue to receive their health insurance.”
The Paycheck Protection Program gives employers loans primarily to keep workers on payroll during the pandemic. Collins is part of a bipartisan push advocating an extension of these loans.
Sen. Lamar Alexander’s office declined to comment on what Congress should do on...
