September 29, 2017 / Modified sep 29, 2017 5:18 p.m.

Episode 335: Health Care in Arizona, As Another Attempt to Repeal Stalls

Stakeholders in Arizona monitor and analyze the ups and downs of the ongoing health care debate.

The Republican plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act ended this week. While technically not dead, the Graham-Cassidy proposal started in the Senate and never made it out.

It’s rare for a bill to get so much attention, especially in its preliminary stages, but repealing and replacing the ACA affects between 20 and 30 million Americans and comes with a price tag in the billions over the long term.

Arizona expanded Medicaid dramatically under the ACA. Arizona Week spoke with Greg Vigdor from the Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association about his views on the steps the state should take moving forward.


The Arizona Alliance for Community Health Centers is also watching the health care negotiations closely.

Every state has an agreement with the Department of Health and Human Services to monitor health care discussions and then provide support to federally qualified health care clinics.

Hear from the alliance’s Tara McCollum Plese about her organization's take on the ongoing debate.


Physicians with El Rio Community Health Center, a federally qualified health care clinic, serve over 90,000 patients a year. El Rio’s Lisa Soltani discusses the Graham-Cassidy bill.


The attempt to repeal and replace ACA started to come apart late last week when U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona announced he would not vote for it, while the Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey voiced his support after a phone call from President Trump.

Mike Sunnucks, from the Phoenix Business Journal, spoke about the divide in Republican politics.


The Hertel Report is a go-to Arizona publication focused on health care. Publisher Jim Hammond gives his analysis on how the state got to where it is.

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