UPDATED - Senate Leaders Unveil Bill to Repeal the Affordable Care Act
Last edited Thu Jun 22, 2017, 11:12 AM - Edit history (1)
Source: New York Times
By ROBERT PEAR and THOMAS KAPLAN JUNE 22, 2017
WASHINGTON — Senate Republicans, who have promised a repeal of the Affordable Care Act for seven years, took a major step on Thursday to achieve that goal as they unveiled a bill to end the health law’s mandate that nearly everyone have health care, remake and cut the Medicaid program and create a new system of federal tax credits to help people buy health insurance.
The Senate bill — once promised as a top-to-bottom revamp of the health bill passed by the House last month — instead maintains its structure, with modest adjustments. The Senate version is, in some respects, more moderate than the House bill, offering more financial assistance to some lower-income people to help them defray the rapidly rising cost of private health insurance. But the Senate measure, like the House bill, would phase out the extra money that the federal government has provided to states as an incentive to expand eligibility for Medicaid. And like the House measure, it would put the entire Medicaid program on a budget, ending the open-ended entitlement that now exists.
It would also repeal virtually all the tax increases imposed by the Affordable Care Act to pay for itself, in effect handing a broad tax cut to the affluent, paid for by billions of dollars sliced from Medicaid, a health care program that serves one in five Americans, not only the poor but two-thirds of those in nursing homes. The bill, drafted in secret, is likely to come to the Senate floor next week, and could come to a vote after 20 hours of debate.
If it passes, President Trump and the Republican Congress would be on the edge of a major overhaul of the American health care system — one-sixth of the nation’s economy.
Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/22/us/politics/senate-leaders-unveil-bill-to-repeal-the-affordable-care-act.html?emc=edit_na_20170622&nl=breaking-news&nlid=57435284&ref=cta
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Senate GOP brings Obamacare repeal bill out of the shadows
After weeks of work behind closed doors, the GOP released its plan and will try to find the votes to pass it.
By BURGESS EVERETT , JENNIFER HABERKORN and ADAM CANCRYN 06/22/2017 05:19 AM EDT Updated 06/22/2017 10:47 AM EDT
Senate Republican leaders unveiled their long-secret plan to repeal Obamacare on Thursday, giving GOP senators and the public the first glimpse at a bill that would rewrite the nation’s health care system.
The broad contours of the 142-page bill — which would tear down large parts of the 2010 health law, cap one of the nation’s biggest entitlement programs and overhaul one-sixth of the U.S. economy — have come into focus in recent days. But GOP senators trickling out of an all-conference meeting this morning said while the reaction was broadly positive, it amounted to just an initial step toward winning over a host of still-skeptical lawmakers.
"A lot of questions," Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) said of the closed-door session. "But there wasn't paper. Until they get a chance to read it, I'm sure they won't firm up."
Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is pushing for a vote as early as next Thursday, ahead of Congress’ July 4 recess. Since Democrats are unified in their opposition, Republicans are using a fast-track process that can evade filibusters.
more
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/22/senate-obamacare-repeal-republicans-secrets-239837
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I found out dumbass Teabagger Toomey was on the secret committee, and since he just go re-elected, he doesn't give a shit. I know Bob Casey (our Democrat) is a "no".
