‘Repeal and Replace’ Is Finally Here

Republicans in Congress unveiled Monday the bill that they hope will repeal and replace Obamacare.

The American Health Care Act repeals most provisions of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, and provides the following relief to Americans struggling with the rising cost of health insurance (explanations from Speaker.gov):

• Delivers relief by:
  • Dismantling the Obamacare taxes that have hurt job creators, increased premium costs and limited options for patients and health care providers—including taxes on prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, health-insurance premiums and medical devices.
  • Eliminating the individual and employer mandate penalties, which forced millions of workers, families and job creators into expensive, inadequate Obamacare plans they don’t want and cannot afford.
• Preserves the following provisions:
  • Prohibits health insurers from denying coverage or charging more money to patients based on preexisting conditions.
  • Helps young adults access health insurance and stabilize the marketplace by allowing dependents to continue staying on their parents’ plan until they are 26.
• Offers the following reforms:
  • Establishes a Patient and State Stability Fund, which provides states with $100 billion to design programs that meet the unique needs of their patient populations and help low-income Americans afford health care.
  • Modernizes and strengthen Medicaid by transitioning to a “per capita allotment” so states can better serve the patients most in need.
  • Empowers individuals and families to spend their health care dollars the way they want and need by enhancing and expanding Health Savings Accounts—nearly doubling the amount of money people can contribute and broadening how people can use it.
  • Helps Americans access affordable, quality health care by providing a monthly tax credit—between $2,000 and $14,000 a year—for low- and middle-income individuals and families who don’t receive insurance through work or a government program.

Click here to read the entire bill.

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, R-Wis., issued the following statement following the unveiling of the bill:

Obamacare is rapidly collapsing. Skyrocketing premiums, soaring deductibles and dwindling choices are not what the people were promised seven years ago. It’s time to turn a page and rescue our health care system from this disastrous law. The American Health Care Act is a plan to drive down costs, encourage competition and give every American access to quality, affordable health insurance. It protects young adults, patients with preexisting conditions and provides a stable transition so that no one has the rug pulled out from under them.

Working together, this unified Republican government will deliver relief and peace of mind to the millions of Americans suffering under Obamacare. This will proceed through a transparent process of regular order in full view of the public. I want to thank all of our members who have contributed their ideas, especially Chairman Walden and Chairman Brady, as well as Secretary Price and the Trump administration, for their commitment to keep this promise and get this right.

But not all Republicans are happy with it. Sens. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.V.), Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) all expressed concerns. In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), they wrote:

We are concerned that any poorly implemented or poorly timed change in the current funding structure in Medicaid could result in a reduction in access to life-saving health care services.

All four come from states that expanded Medicaid under Obamacare. Additionally, conservatives in the House of Representatives have yet to give the bill their blessing. Despite provisions that address many of their talking points in opposition to “repeal and replace,” Democrats remain solidly against the legislation, continuing with their “Make America Sicker” slogan. {eoa}