Nebraska lawmakers have been confronted by fearful and angry protesters, concerned about losing healthcare coverage.
Emotions ran high at a town hall meeting hosted by U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry in Lincoln Monday night.
A local doctor says to sum up the issue this is the first time in history we're not limited by what medicine can do, but by who will pay for it.
Dr. Gregston Nelson, a family physician, says it’s not just lawmakers getting peppered with questions about a possible repeal and replace of the Affordable Care Act. Patients often come into visits with questions for him.
"Doctor, what do you think is going to happen?” Nelson said. “Doctor, the treatment you recommended, or the test that you'd like to do, will my insurance cover that? I can never have an answer for that. I don't know."
Nelson, who practices at Primary Care Physicians, says every day he deals with patients concerns about long-term care, coverage and affordability.
"We try to minimize that by writing mostly generic medicines,” Nelson said. “A lot of pressure from the managed care people to do that. And I think in this practice we're averaging over 90 percent generic medicines."
A big criticism of the ACA is the high premium cost, leading many to choose plans with higher deductibles. For Dr. Nelson, he says he charges about $100 per visit. With a $5000 deductible, you'd have to see him 50 times before insurance picks up the tab.
Critics of GOP health care legislation have gotten fresh ammunition from a report that says the bill would increase the ranks of the uninsured by 14 million people next year alone, and 24 million over a decade.
The findings from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office could make prospects for the legislation backed by President Donald Trump even tougher, with a few House and Senate conservatives already in open revolt and moderate Republicans queasy about big cuts to the Medicaid safety net for the poor.
But the bill's supporters at the White House and Capitol Hill show no sign of retreat. Instead, they are attacking the parts of the CBO report they didn't like while touting the more favorable findings, including smaller deficits from their bill and lower premiums over time.
As Washington sorts out what a repeal and replacement of the affordable care act would look like, locally as the concerns are continuing to mount.
