An Update To The Senate’s Health Care Bill
Now it’s the Senate’s turn to offer its version of a heath-care bill the Republicans want to replace the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare. The House Republicans already had their shot at offering up legislation and quickly passed it before the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) could score the bill, and the Senate seems to be rushing to pass its bill before the July 4th break.
After analyzing the House bill, the CBO estimated it would cause 23 million Americans to lose health insurance over the next decade. Additionally, older Americans would see extreme increases in health insurance premiums, and there would be massive cuts to Medicaid for the poor.
The Washington Post took a deep look at the Senate bill, and although it may not be quite as harsh as the House bill, it still targets the poor. Because the Senate needs moderate Republicans on board, it is also a deceiving bill. Huge impacts would only be felt five-to-seven years down the road, which some have speculated is for political purposes.
There are a few positive aspects of the Senate bill like the mandate that insurance providers can’t deny people with pre-existing conditions, something the House bill got rid of.
The Impact
- The Senate bill, just like the House bill, would eliminate the individual mandate that everyone must purchase health insurance. That mandate, a prominent part of Obamacare, sought to decrease premiums by increasing the number of insurance purchasers.
- Medicaid cuts are also part of the Senate bill. The government-funded health insurance program for the poor will receive less funding, but the Senate bill does this gradually over several years so the one-time shock of reduced funding might not be noticed immediately when the bill becomes law.
- To help fund Obamacare there was a tax increase for wealthy Americans. Neither the Senate nor the House bill would keep this measure, and those taxes would be eliminated.
- The Senate bill eliminates all funding for Planned Parenthood for at least one year.
- The decreased subsidies that the Senate would offer would be tied to income rather than age. The House based subsidies on age rather than income.
The Senate needs 50 votes to pass this bill since Vice President Mike Pence would break the tie in the Republican’s favor. This means that if more than two Republicans in the Senate cross party lines and vote with the Democrats, the bill is doomed. Moderate Republicans have a dilemma on their hands: They can support a very flawed bill that would cause more people to lose coverage; cut funds from the poor and provide a tax break for the wealthy; or they can take a courageous stand against this bill.
After the House passed its bill President Donald Trump held a celebration in the Rose Garden, but since then he has called the bill “mean,” according to a story in the Los Angeles Times. Maybe after the president read the bill he had second thoughts? Now he has asked the Senate to offer a bill “with heart.” After these comments it is very difficult to understand where the president stands on the two bills. Will he sign a “mean” bill that has “no heart?”
The latest news is that the Senate has decided to delay a vote on the bill until after the holiday break as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell tries to find enough votes for the bill’s passage. There appears to be a least a handful of Republican senators who are reluctant to vote for the bill. Greeman Toomey encourages all current and former clients, as well as all readers of this blog, to contact their Senators, early and often, to voice concerns about this bill. You can find the contact information every U.S. Senator of the 115th Congress here.
