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SALT LAKE CITY — Sen. Orrin Hatch received Wednesday 1,000 reasons to back away from the Better Care Reconciliation Act, as advocacy groups delivered to his office written testimonials from Utahns who fear they will be hurt by changes to federal health care laws.
The testimonials, as well as petitions with 5,000 signatures, were compiled primarily by an alliance of health and advocacy organizations called Save Medicaid Utah. Some were added to the stack by Comunidades Unidas (Communities United). Those groups and Planned Parenthood — which stands to lose federal funding for a year under the Better Care Reconciliation Act — collected the signatures.
Andrew Riggle, public policy advocate for the Utah Disability Law Center that is part of Save Medicaid Utah, personally delivered some of the testimonials and petition signatures to the Republican senator's staff at the Wallace F. Bennett Federal Building. He said the meeting "gives me more hope than I've had in a long time" that advocates' concerns will be heard.
"They said they had a whole lot of reading ahead of them," Riggle said. "I really hope that they meant that."
Hatch spokesman Matt Whitlock said the senator's office was happy to be presented with the materials.
“Members of Senator Hatch’s staff were pleased to meet with representatives from these groups today and receive their petitions, and he has been grateful to meet with them and receive their input over the last few months. ... He will continue to listen to input from constituents as he works to address the undeniable shortcomings of Obamacare and bring Utahns and all Americans the patient-centered and affordable care they deserve,” Whitlock said in a statement.
Riggle believes Hatch may be best persuaded when presented with compelling stories of Utah families who can spell out the bill's specific likely effects on their own lives. He said the testimonials were collected with Hatch in mind, rather than Sen. Mike Lee, because Lee already opposes the bill and because Hatch's senior position in the Senate better situates him to "work internally to improve" the bill.
"They were receptive, they listened, they said they understand our concerns and would pass them to the senator," Riggle said of Hatch's staff. "If anything is going to make a difference, those stories will be what does."
Riggle expressed less optimism that Hatch could eventually be persuaded to withdraw support from the bill entirely. He added that "what we heard from them is Medicaid is unsustainable," which he disagrees with completely.
"It has a lower per-person cost than either the private market or Medicare," Riggle said.
Shortly before delivering the testimonials and signatures, about 20 advocates gathered to hear speeches criticizing the Better Care Reconciliation Act outside the Bennett building.
Hatch "needs to stand by his own legacy and support his own achievements," Stacy Stanford, health policy advocate for the Utah Health Policy Project, told the group.
Stanford was referring to Hatch's efforts to create the Children's Health Insurance Program, his role in passing the Americans with Disabilities Act and other legislative accomplishments in the past that have helped vulnerable populations. She said strides made in those federal programs could fall apart under the Senate proposal if there are cutbacks in Medicaid spending levels.
"That was decades ago," Stanford later told KSL of Hatch's signature health policy accomplishments. "He should be standing by those programs now and lifting them up and supporting them. ... You can't just support those in word, you need to support them with action as well."
Stanford was responsible for reviewing the testimonials — "I've read every single one, more than once," she says — and was impressed by their compassion. Many of them focused not on how the bill would affect them personally, but talked about friends or relatives who could be impacted, according to Stanford.
"It was this very selfless fear for the lives of their loved ones," she said.
Stanford also said most of the letters either focused on the bill's Medicaid cuts or claims of its pitfalls for Utahns with pre-existing conditions.
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office predicted the Senate bill would reduce Medicaid funding by $772 billion by 2026.
One woman who joined the chorus of support for Medicaid on Wednesday was Claudia Curiel, a West Valley mother of four. Curiel said her children all relied on Medicaid for their care while she was bed-ridden for three months due to a severe caesarean section complication, an ordeal that necessitated both herself and her husband leaving their jobs.
"I am grateful that despite my family's lack of financial stability, my children were able to receive the health care coverage that they deserved when we needed it the most," she told those gathered at the Bennett building. "Hence, I am fighting this battle because I would like to see this program continue to grow for those who might come to need it just like my family once did."
Senate leaders initially wanted a vote on the Better Care Reconciliation Act on Thursday, but the vote has been pushed back as several Republicans wavered in their support for the bill. Riggle said the delay gives advocates extra time to voice their displeasure with the legislation. He said he wants anyone wanting to add their voice against the bill to contact Save Medicaid Utah.
The group's member organizations are AARP, Utah Health Policy Project, Utah Disability Law Center, Utah Family Voices and Voices for Utah's Children.
