He Voted to Repeal Health Care, He Voted to Sabotage Health Care:

Try As He Might, Keith Rothfus Cannot Hide From His Record

Health care has continued to drive the policy debate and political conversation in Pennsylvania and in Washington, with
costs and coverage remaining top priorities for the American people. This summer, polls from the ​Kaiser​ ​Family
Foundation​, ​NBC News​ and ​CBS News​ found that health care outranked jobs and economy as the most important issue.
In addition, a recent Public Policy Polling ​poll​ of voters in PA-17 found that health care is the most important or a very
important issue for 60 percent of voters, and a plurality of voters (47 percent) said Rothfus’s vote to repeal the ACA made
them less likely to vote for him.

But rather than listening to his constituents, sticking up for health care protections for Pennsylvanians and working to
lower costs, Representative Keith Rothfus voted to weaken protections for people with pre-existing conditions, to cut
billions of dollars form Medicare and Medicaid, and to drive up health care costs. What’s even more disturbing, Keith
Rothfus voted to give huge tax breaks to big insurance and drug companies at the very same time he voted to sabotage
Pennsylvanians’ health care.

Despite running in a competitive district this cycle, Keith Rothfus ​openly admits​, “I support repealing Obamacare.”
Rothfus’s health care record is clear: he has voted to repeal health care, he voted to sabotage it -- and he should own it.
The following report offers more details about Keith Rothfus’s record on health care.

Keith Rothfus Wants To Repeal The Affordable Care Act And Its Protections For 5.3 Million Pennsylvanians With
Pre-existing Conditions

Keith Rothfus voted for House Republicans’ repeal bill, which would have raised premiums, stripped coverage
from millions, and weakened protection for people with pre-existing conditions.​​ ​Rothfus ​voted for​ passage of the
American Health Care Act, which ​would have led roughly 777,000 Pennsylvanians to ​lose coverage​ by 2026 under this
bill. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office found that the American Health Care Act would have raised ​premiums
20 percent​ in 2018. ​The bill also imposed what the AARP calls an “​age tax​” on older Americans, meaning ​out-of-pocket
costs for older Pennsylvanians could increase by as much as ​$9,734​ ​by 2026. The negative economic impact of the
American Health Care Act would cause 51,586 Pennsylvanians ​to lose their jobs​ by 2022​.

Rothfus: “I Support Repealing Obamacare.” ​“I support repealing ObamaCare and replacing it with legislation that
gives individuals more affordable healthcare choices and greater control over their coverage.” [Rothfus for Congress,
accessed 9/25/18​]

2013: Rothfus Voted For A Total Repeal Of The ACA. ​Rothfus voted for ​HR 45​, an act "to repeal the Patient
Protection and Affordable Care Act and health care-related provisions in the Health Care and Education Reconciliation
Act of 2010."

2015: Rothfus Voted For A Total Repeal Of The ACA. ​Rothfus voted for ​HR 596​, an act "to repeal the Patient
Protection and Affordable Care Act and health care-related provisions in the Health Care and Education Reconciliation
Act of 2010." The bill also ordered House committees to develop a replacement that would "provide people with
pre-existing conditions access to affordable health coverage," but provided no specifics.

What would full repeal of the Affordable Care Act eliminate?

● Protections for 5.3 million Pennsylvanians with pre-existing conditions, if they buy coverage on their own
● Improvements to Medicare, including reduced costs for prescription drugs
● Allowing kids to stay on their parents’ insurance until age 26

Protect Our Care | September 2018

 ● Ban on annual and lifetime limits
● Ban on insurance discrimination against women
● Limit on out-of-pocket costs
● Medicaid expansion currently covering 15 million people
● Rules to hold insurance companies accountable
● Small business tax credits
● Marketplace tax credits and coverage for up to 363,000 Pennsylvanians.

Keith Rothfus Has Spent The Past Year And A Half Sabotaging Pennsylvanians’ Health Care, While Voting for Tax
Breaks for Corporations at the Very Same Time

Rothfus voted for the Republican tax scam, which was estimated by the Congressional Budget Office to drive up
premiums by 10 percent annually each year for the next decade. ​Rothfus voted for the Republican tax bill passed last
December, which repealed the requirement that most people have health insurance. The nonpartisan Congressional
Budget Office ​estimated​ that such a move would cause individual market premiums to increase by 10 percent in most
years of the decade. This $1.5 trillion tax bill disproportionately benefits the wealthy and sends massive tax breaks to
insurance​ and ​pharmaceutical companies​.

Rothfus refuses to oppose a lawsuit designed to end protections for people with pre-existing conditions. ​This
summer, the Trump Administration refused to defend against a​ ​lawsuit​ brought by 20 conservative states aimed at
overturning the Affordable Care Act and its protections for people with pre-existing conditions. In July, House Democrats
introduced a​ ​resolution​ that would authorize the General Counsel of the House of Representatives to intervene in the
lawsuit and defend protections for people with pre-existing conditions. Rothfus refuses to support the resolution.

Rothfus also refuses to join the House effort to overturn Trump administration’s junk plan rule that lets insurance
companies discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions. ​The Trump Administration​ also recently
finalized​ a rule that allows insurance companies to deny coverage to people with pre-existing conditions. Experts warn
that this move will only increase the cost of comprehensive care, ultimately making it even harder for people with
pre-existing conditions to get the care they need. House Democrats​ ​introduced​ legislation that would override Trump’s
rule, but Rothfus has not signed on.

Now, Pennsylvanians Are Paying For His Actions

Pennsylvania insurance companies proposed rate increases averaging ​4.9 percent​​ for 2019, and were ultimately
approved to increase premiums slightly by an average of ​0.7 percent​​ statewide​​.

● Jessica Altman, Pennsylvania Insurance Commissioner​: “​The ongoing attempts and recent proposed rules being
considered at the federal level to dismantle the ACA still have the potential to jeopardize market stability in future
years and negatively impact health insurance consumers. We will continue to work to protect the progress we
have made, including Pennsylvania's lowest uninsured rate on record, and make affordability and access our top
priorities for consumers.”
● Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf​: “Pennsylvanians want and deserve access to the comprehensive health
coverage that the ACA provides. Enrollment over the past few years has remained steady, and this fall enrollees
will have more choices, despite the Trump Administration’s relentless efforts to dismantle the ACA.”
● Charles Gaba, Health Care Analyst​: Absent GOP sabotage, Pennsylvanians would have seen average ​decrease
of 5.52 percent

Brookings Analysis Estimates That Individual Market Premiums Would ​Decrease​ If Not For GOP Sabotage.​​ The
analysis​ predicts that average premiums would fall by 4.3 Percent in 2019 in a stable policy environment.

Protect Our Care | September 2018

APPENDIX: September 2018 PA-17 Poll

From: Anniken Williams, Public Policy Polling

To: Interested Parties
Subject: Republicans in Trouble on ACA, Pre-Existing Conditions; Pennsylvania Voters
Say They’re Less Likely to Support them Due to Health Care Stance
Date: September 21, 2018
A new survey by Public Policy Polling finds that Republicans are in trouble on the issue of the
Affordable Care Act and pre-existing conditions as Pennsylvania voters say they are less likely
to support Republicans due to their stance on health care. In Pennsylvania’s 17​th​ Congressional
District, a plurality of voters (47%) say they are less likely to vote for Congressman Keith
Rothfus because of his effort to repeal the ACA.
The Trump administration recently went to court to eliminate the health care law’s protections
for people with pre-existing conditions, and voters overwhelmingly oppose their action. 68%
oppose the lawsuit, including a 54% majority of Republicans. Pennsylvanians are also less likely
to vote for Republicans who stayed silent on this lawsuit. A plurality of voters (47%) say they
are less likely to vote for Congressman Rothfus because of his silence on the lawsuit.

Key findings in the survey include:

● Health care is a very important issue to voters when deciding who to vote for. 60% say it
is either the most important issue or a very important issue when deciding who to vote
for.

● Pennsylvanians are very concerned about the possible consequences of repealing the
ACA. 62% of voters think charging people 50+ years old, five times more than younger
people for health insurance is a major concern. Eliminating protections for people with
pre-existing conditions is a major concern for 63% of voters.

PPP surveyed 558 PA 17 voters from September 17-18, 2018. The margin of error is +/- 4.2%.
This poll was conducted by automated telephone interviews.

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Protect Our Care | September 2018