SAN FRANCISCO — As they duck in and out of investor meetings and company presentations, healthcare executives at the JPMorgan Healthcare Investor Conference are keeping a close eye on Obamacare repeal discussions in Washington.
William Carpenter, chief of executive of Lifepoint Health, said his company’s lobbyists were texting him Wednesday morning about support for a three-point plan released by Sen. Lamar Alexander, which calls for repealing and replacing the law simultaneously.
“Our government relations people have been texting me … to say Sen. Enzi, chairman of [the Senate Budget Committee], seems to like the Alexander proposal, so we’ll see how that plays out,” Carpenter said hopefully.
Lifepoint, one of the country’s largest rural hospital networks, is dreading the possible repeal of the Affordable Care Act by Republicans. Its facilities have been hugely affected by the influx of patients who have health coverage for the first time. Carpenter said about 80 percent of the company’s benefits through the law are because of its Medicaid expansion and 20 percent from its marketplace coverage.
Carpenter doesn’t want the law repealed, as President-elect Trump has promised. But if that’s the route Congress is going, lawmakers should at least pass a replacement concurrently, he said.
“Obviously, we are advocates for repeal and replace,” he said. “At the same time, we’re realistic to know that the campaign was run on ‘repeal immediately’ and that we’ll likely see repeal ahead of replace.
“But we’re encouraged about the number of Republican senators … who are speaking up to say we should repeal and replace at the same time,” Carpenter added. “So I think there’s some positive momentum, and I’m hopeful in that regard.”
