The two documents are outlines of an initial approach by House Republicans and are the first printed summaries of a GOP health care plan since the election of President Trump.
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden said that he’s long believed the payments needed to be preserved now that Republicans are on the brink of repealing Obamacare, but sees no hypocrisy in House Republicans allocating the money now despite the 2014 lawsuit.
On Monday, the approximately 40 members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus voted unanimously to back the 2015 Obamacare repeal bill, and on Wednesday, they endorsed an Obamacare replacement plan released by Sen.
Among the options discussed was repealing some or all of the $1.1 trillion in taxes over 10 years that Obama’s overhaul imposed to help finance its expansion of health coverage.
In presenting their plan and getting the support of the HFC, Paul and Sanford hope to force action on “repeal and replace” by Republican leaders who are getting resistance from, among others, GOP governors who have accepted the Medicaid expansion in their states or who understand that other parts of the ACA have helped their citizens. (New York Times) To prevent this from happening, the states need more oversight, to make sure that they are using our money appropriately.
Democrats defending Obama’s law oppose all of the GOP ideas, saying they’d leave many people unable to afford health coverage.
The bill’s main replacement for the coverage expanded by the ACA, and now at risk, is a reform of health savings accounts that would allow them to be used for premiums and an expanded menu of preventive care.
Specifically, Americans purchasing coverage on the individual market would receive an advanceable, refundable tax credit based on age.
The ad buy is just one more example of pro-Obamacare groups organizing to crank up the heat on Republican lawmakers as they deliberate whether to overhaul Obamacare. Ryan told reporters today that he was looking for a compromise so that “we do it in a way that doesn’t disadvantage either side”. Once they had both chambers of Congress and the White House, it was going to be all business.
Thursday’s closed-door meeting came with Congress about to start a week-long recess.
Now that they’re on the verge of repealing Obamacare, Republican members are cautious about any disruptions that could hit the marketplace on their watch. Lawmakers are eager to have something to show constituents.
Echoing many of his colleagues, Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, remarked as he left the meeting, “The devil’s in the details”. (New York Times) If families lose their health coverage under Trump’s new plan, their children would lose essential benefits, meaning children would not be covered for treatment of their current diseases, or future disease.
The proposal seeks in addition to revamp the individual insurance market where millions of Americans who don’t get employer coverage buy insurance. Verma defended the program as a means not only of giving those on Medicaid more choice when it comes to health care, but also of improving their health in the end. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) said in leaked audio from the GOP’s congressional retreat. It also stresses that the Medicaid expansion, which loosened program eligibility requirements, would also be undone. In comparison with the republican law, this one took from the rich and gave it to the poor and not the other way around.
Under the plan, states that expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act “could continue to receive enhanced federal payments for now enrolled beneficiaries for a limited period of time”, the memo said. Currently, there’s an expectation on the Hill that conservatives in the House will demand that any Obamacare repeal bill also cut off all federal funds to Planned Parenthood.