HOUSE OKS HEALTH BILL
‘Obamacare’ repeal advances, but it faces an uncertain future in Senate
Abill passed Thursday by the House of Representatives would not fully repeal President Barack Obama’s signature 2010 Affordable Care Act, but it does aim to kill major elements of that law. The final tally — 217-213 — reflected sharp divisions over the proposal, which is a long way from becoming law but still represents a victory for GOP leaders and the Trump administration. The GOP has struggled for months to cobble together legislation that would garner 216 votes. The Senate is the next stop for the proposal, but Republicans there are already split over the measure and Democrats are unified in opposition.
“Make no mistake, this is a repeal and a replace of ‘Obamacare.’ Make no mistake about it. Make no mistake.” DONALD TRUMP PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
The health care bill Republican leaders pushed quickly through the House on Thursday is likely to undergo major changes in the Senate, where some moderate GOP senators have come out against the legislation.
The Senate will review the House bill but will write its own version over the next few weeks, said Sen. Lamar Alexander, RTenn., chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
“We want to get it right,” Alexander said Thursday on the Senate floor. “There will be no artificial deadlines.”
If the Senate passes its own bill, House and Senate negotiators will try to work out a compromise, which would require another vote in both chambers.
House Republicans have vowed to repeal and replace Obamacare since its passage in 2010. The vote was hastily called after Republicans wooed moderates with a last-minute amendment that would provide $8 billion to help patients with pre-existing conditions afford higher premiums.
In March, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., canceled a vote on an earlier version of the bill because it did not have enough Republican support to pass. Not a single Democrat voted for the bill.
Senators “want to make sure we know what our bill costs,” Alexander said. The House passed its legislation before the non-par-
The House passed its legislation before the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office had time to analyze it to estimate what it would cost.
tisan Congressional Budget Office had time to analyze it to estimate what it would cost and how many Americans it would insure. The CBO estimated that the original House bill would have led to 24 million fewer people having insurance by 2026, but it would cut federal budget deficits by $337 billion.
Sen. Rob Portman, a moderate Republican from Ohio, said Thursday that he is worried about how the House bill could affect his constituents. Ohio is one of 32 states that expanded its Medicaid program for low-income residents under Obamacare.
“I’ve already made clear that I don’t support the House bill as currently constructed because I continue to have concerns that this bill does not do enough to protect Ohio’s Medicaid expansion population, especially those who are receiving treatment for heroin and prescription drug abuse,” Portman said in a statement. “We have an opioid crisis in this country, and I’m going to continue to work with my colleagues on solutions that ensure that those who are impacted by this epidemic can continue to receive treatment.”
Portman said Obamacare cannot be sustained as insurance premiums and deductibles “continue their steep climb.”
“Congress must take responsible action that lowers health care costs, but these changes must be made in a way that does not leave people behind,” the senator said.
Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nev., said he wants to repeal Obamacare “in a way that benefits Nevadans, but I think that the current bill falls short.” Nevada expanded Medicaid under Obamacare.
“I will not support it in its current form in the Senate and am confident that what the Senate considers and approves will be different from the House bill,” Heller said in a statement. “We cannot pull the rug out from under states like Nevada that expanded Medicaid, and we need assurances that people with preexisting conditions will be protected.”
Democrats are united against the bill. Republicans have a slim majority of 52 senators, so GOP leaders can afford to lose only two Republican votes. That would give them a 50-50 tie, which Vice President Pence could break in favor of the bill.
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., appealed to his Republican colleagues Thursday to slow down and work with Democrats.
He said the House bill, despite the addition of $8 billion, would cause insurance premiums to go up 20% in the first few years while increasing average costs by more than $1,500 a year for middle-class Americans. He criticized a provision that would allow insurers to increase what they charge older Americans in comparison with younger consumers. “It harms the American people in so many ways,” Schumer said. “It doesn’t have to be this way.”