CONCORD – Today House Republican Leader Gene Chandler (R-Bartlett) and Co-Chair of the Joint Health Care Reform Oversight Committee and Assistant Republican Leader John Hunt (R-Rindge) offered the following comments following the meeting of the Joint Health Care Reform Oversight Committee where discussions revealed that plans that will soon offered on the Obamacare health exchange in New Hampshire will drastically reduce provider networks, which may result in citizens having to sever relationships with local physicians or hospitals and drive excessive distances to receive care.
House Republican Leader Gene Chandler (R-Bartlett)
“Despite all the assurances we’ve been given by the Obama administration that we’d be able to keep our doctors and be able to make choices regarding our health care providers, we’re now learning that tens of thousands of New Hampshire citizens may have to drive clear across their county to receive care. This will put thousands of families in an extremely difficult position of either having to pay out of pocket to visit their local doctor or hospital, or have take a day off of work, and fill their gas tank to visit one of the in-network facilities. For people of limited means, it’s just plain unfair.”
Co- Chair of the Joint Health Care Reform Oversight Committee and Assistant Republican Leader John Hunt (R-Rindge)
“It’s ironic that one of the main goals of Obamacare is to increase access to healthcare, but now as a result of Obamacare, access to health care providers will be limited. Anthem, in its attempt to deal with the perspective costs due to the nature of the people who will be mandated to buy this product, had to make this change in order to keep the rates from spiking.”
The Joint Health Care Oversight Committee’s next meeting is scheduled for October 2, 2013, after the final approval of the Anthem plans as well as the opening of the ObamaCare exchange marketplace.