Editor:

Republicans in the U.S. Senate are secretly crafting a repeal of the Affordable Care Act. What has Sen. Cory Gardner told the citizens of Colorado about this bill? Nothing! Why the secrecy? Why no open hearings? The ACA had 100 open hearings.

Currently in Colorado, 175,964 citizens enrolled in ACA health insurance plans for 2017. Another 407,000 Coloradans obtained health insurance through the expansion of Medicaid.  Loveland Sunrise Clinic serves predominantly low-income citizens. Before ACA, 50 percent of their patients were uninsured. Under ACA, that number has dropped to 25 percent.

Since 2010 Sunrise added 10,000 patients and 130 new jobs. Repeal of the ACA will result in huge losses to Colorado hospitals, especially the small rural hospitals. As a family physician for 35 years in rural hospitals, I have seen the devastating effects on families without health insurance, from delayed care, to no care, to bankruptcies and increased mortality. The amount of uncompensated care for Colorado hospitals went from $2.3 billion in 2009 to $1.1 billion in 2015.

The American Health Care Act passed by the House does not cover millions of people with pre-existing conditions. Will Sen. Gardner stand up, along with the national organizations of family doctors, pediatricians, OB-GYNs and internists to demand that any new Senate bill do the following: Not increase the number of uninsured; continue the Medicaid expansion; continue affordable coverage for pre-existing conditions; cover preventive services, psychiatric care, maternity care and substance abuse care; and continue premiums based upon income, not age?

With so much at stake regarding the health care of Coloradans, Sen. Gardner, stop the secrecy and tell us just what you stand for.

Scott Johnson, MDLoveland, Colo.