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| Republican 'Trumpcare' plan battered by politicians on both left and right | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| The proposed Republican replacement for Obamacare was already running into fierce opposition on Tuesday less than a day after it was introduced. | |
| The American Health Care Act is already being denounced by many conservative groups and is meeting guarded skepticism among Republicans on Capitol Hill. | |
| Major rightwing advocacy organizations rushed to denounce the legislation. The Club for Growth president, David McIntosh, said the group, which keeps scorecards of how Republicans vote on certain key issues, would downgrade Republicans who support the House bill: “If this warmed-over substitute for government-run health care remains unchanged, the Club for Growth will key vote against it.” FreedomWorks dubbed it “ObamaCare Lite”. | |
| The concerns of outside groups about the bill are shared by many conservatives on Capitol Hill. Republicans can’t have more than two defectors in the Senate and 21 in the House if the legislation is to pass. | |
| The bill would eliminate the individual mandate, which requires Americans to have health insurance or pay a fine; cut the number of people insured under Medicaid; and allow insurance companies to charge the elderly up to five times more than the young. It would require insurers to cover so-called pre-existing conditions, but would allow them to add a 30% surcharge to premiums if people go without insurance for too long. | |
| On Capitol Hill, many Republican senators were wary about commenting in detail and insisted to reporters that they hadn’t read it. One, Pat Roberts of Kansas, would not even say if he thought the bill was on the right track. “It’s on some track,” he said. Roy Blunt of Missouri was also skeptical about the bill’s prospects of success. “I’m going to be very anxious to hear how we get to 51 votes and how the House gets to 218,” said the former House Republican whip, referring to the number of votes needed to pass the bill. | |
| Others expressed worry that Senate Republicans were already putting preconditions on their support for the legislation. On Monday, four members of the Senate GOP caucus insisted that unless changes were made to the draft bill’s provisions to roll back the expansion of Medicaid, they could not support it. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina expressed his concerns that this was already limiting legislative room to maneuver. He worried about “the people on our side who said we will not move things forward unless – fill in the blank – so starting to paint ourselves into a very small space”. | |
| However, the Republican leadership in the Senate wholeheartedly backed the bill. The Senate majority whip, John Cornyn, warned his colleagues: “I think every senator, every congressman, needs to ask themselves the question, ‘Did you run on repealing and replacing Obamacare or not?’ And if you did, is it important to keep your promises? And to me, it’s not a whole lot more complicated than that.” | |
| Cornyn added: “I do think that the product they came up with is one that is an improvement over the status quo.” The Texas senator said the bill, which he characterized as a joint effort by both the House and Senate, would probably come directly to the Senate floor if it passed the House and not be subject to the committee process. | |
| Cornyn’s support was echoed by the Wyoming Republican John Barrasso. “I’m very optimistic that we are actually doing what promised to do,” said the senator. “We’re going to repeal and replace and in the process try to provide relief for people who are continually harmed by the healthcare law … I’m very encouraged by what’s come out.” | |
| The White House has also come out wholeheartedly behind the legislation. In a tweet on Tuesday morning, Donald Trump described it as “our wonderful new Healthcare bill”. However, the president noted that it was subject to “review and negotiation”. | |
| It was also backed in a letter sent by Tom Price, the secretary of health and human services, to the chairs of the relevant congressional committees, praising its “patient-centered solutions that will provide all Americans with access to affordable, quality healthcare, promote innovation, and offer peace of mind for those with pre-existing conditions.” | |
| Price also appeared at the White House press briefing on Tuesday afternoon to praise the legislation. The cabinet secretary dodged questions about whether he supported everything in the bill, noting it was a work in progress. | |
| But Jason Chaffetz, a congressman from Utah and chairman of the House oversight committee, scored a public relations own goal when he told CNN: “You know what, Americans have choices. And they’ve got to make a choice. And so maybe, rather than getting that new iPhone that they just love and they want to spend hundreds of dollars on, maybe they should invest in their own healthcare.” | But Jason Chaffetz, a congressman from Utah and chairman of the House oversight committee, scored a public relations own goal when he told CNN: “You know what, Americans have choices. And they’ve got to make a choice. And so maybe, rather than getting that new iPhone that they just love and they want to spend hundreds of dollars on, maybe they should invest in their own healthcare.” |
| The comment was the subject of some mockery online. | The comment was the subject of some mockery online. |
| I mean, it's one cell phone, Michael. What could it cost, thirteen thousand dollars annually with a $200 per-visit deductible? pic.twitter.com/hkpqirQ12b | I mean, it's one cell phone, Michael. What could it cost, thirteen thousand dollars annually with a $200 per-visit deductible? pic.twitter.com/hkpqirQ12b |
| Divisions within the Republican party mean the bill’s passage through the House and Senate is far from certain. The Republican senator Rand Paul of Kentucky argued that it did not make enough of a significant break from Obama’s healthcare law. “The House leadership plan is Obamacare Lite,” he tweeted. “It will not pass. Conservarives [sic] are not going to take it.” | Divisions within the Republican party mean the bill’s passage through the House and Senate is far from certain. The Republican senator Rand Paul of Kentucky argued that it did not make enough of a significant break from Obama’s healthcare law. “The House leadership plan is Obamacare Lite,” he tweeted. “It will not pass. Conservarives [sic] are not going to take it.” |
| In the House, the Freedom Caucus, a hardline rightwing group that often poses a headache for Republican leadership, also expressed reservations. Chairman Mark Meadows of North Carolina told Fox News: “The biggest concern I have is, will it lower healthcare costs? Until we get that answer we have to hold out judgment.” | In the House, the Freedom Caucus, a hardline rightwing group that often poses a headache for Republican leadership, also expressed reservations. Chairman Mark Meadows of North Carolina told Fox News: “The biggest concern I have is, will it lower healthcare costs? Until we get that answer we have to hold out judgment.” |
| Meanwhile, four Republican senators – Rob Portman, Shelley Moore Capito, Cory Gardner and Lisa Murkowski – published a letter that warned: “We are concerned that the February 10th draft proposal from the House of Representatives does not provide stability and certainty for individuals and families in Medicaid expansion programs or the necessary flexibility for states.” | Meanwhile, four Republican senators – Rob Portman, Shelley Moore Capito, Cory Gardner and Lisa Murkowski – published a letter that warned: “We are concerned that the February 10th draft proposal from the House of Representatives does not provide stability and certainty for individuals and families in Medicaid expansion programs or the necessary flexibility for states.” |
| There was also a wall of opposition from Democrats. Branding the new bill “Trumpcare”, they argued that by eliminating minimum coverage for health plans and decreasing the availability of tax credits, the plan would drive up insurance costs for average Americans by at least $1,000 per year. | There was also a wall of opposition from Democrats. Branding the new bill “Trumpcare”, they argued that by eliminating minimum coverage for health plans and decreasing the availability of tax credits, the plan would drive up insurance costs for average Americans by at least $1,000 per year. |
| Speaking on the Senate floor, Chuck Schumer, the Democratic minority leader, said: “After seven years of talking about the same thing over and over again, you’d think the Republicans would have been able to come up with a better plan than this. This plan is a mess. | Speaking on the Senate floor, Chuck Schumer, the Democratic minority leader, said: “After seven years of talking about the same thing over and over again, you’d think the Republicans would have been able to come up with a better plan than this. This plan is a mess. |
| “First, it will cost average Americans more money for their healthcare while providing them fewer benefits. Second, it will cut taxes on the very wealthy, making average Americans pay more. Third, it will raise premiums and costs on older Americans. And fourth, it will remove the guarantee that ensures Americans with pre-existing conditions can get coverage.” | “First, it will cost average Americans more money for their healthcare while providing them fewer benefits. Second, it will cut taxes on the very wealthy, making average Americans pay more. Third, it will raise premiums and costs on older Americans. And fourth, it will remove the guarantee that ensures Americans with pre-existing conditions can get coverage.” |
| Schumer added: “Trumpcare will make health insurance in America measurably worse in just about every way and likely leave more Americans uninsured. It does, however, greatly benefit the very wealthy and special interests.” | Schumer added: “Trumpcare will make health insurance in America measurably worse in just about every way and likely leave more Americans uninsured. It does, however, greatly benefit the very wealthy and special interests.” |
| Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic minority leader in the House, told CBS’s This Morning show: “Just when you think you’ve seen it all, the Republicans go to a more extreme place. This will make millions of people – it’s a question of 10, 15, 20 million people – off of having health insurance. | Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic minority leader in the House, told CBS’s This Morning show: “Just when you think you’ve seen it all, the Republicans go to a more extreme place. This will make millions of people – it’s a question of 10, 15, 20 million people – off of having health insurance. |
| “It will be the biggest transfer of wealth from low- and middle-income people to wealthy people in our country. You don’t think of it that way. That’s why I always say to them: show us the numbers. Show us the numbers about what the impact is personally on people, show us the numbers as to how many people will be thrown off. It couldn’t be worse.” | “It will be the biggest transfer of wealth from low- and middle-income people to wealthy people in our country. You don’t think of it that way. That’s why I always say to them: show us the numbers. Show us the numbers about what the impact is personally on people, show us the numbers as to how many people will be thrown off. It couldn’t be worse.” |
| Several conservative groups and thinktanks also condemned the plan. Michael Cannon, an analyst at the Cato Institute, wrote: “This bill is a train wreck waiting to happen … Republicans don’t seem to have any concept of the quagmire they are about to enter with this bill.” | Several conservative groups and thinktanks also condemned the plan. Michael Cannon, an analyst at the Cato Institute, wrote: “This bill is a train wreck waiting to happen … Republicans don’t seem to have any concept of the quagmire they are about to enter with this bill.” |
| He added: “If Congress gets health reform wrong on its first try, health reform could consume most of President Trump’s first term.” | He added: “If Congress gets health reform wrong on its first try, health reform could consume most of President Trump’s first term.” |
| Experts warned of the consequences for the less well off. Loren Adler, associate director of the Center for Health Policy at the Brookings Institution thinktank in Washington, suggested that 15 million people could lose health insurance compared to Obamacare. He tweeted: “Reading through the House GOP bill, it’s hard to imagine the coverage loss is any less than 15M versus the ACA.” | Experts warned of the consequences for the less well off. Loren Adler, associate director of the Center for Health Policy at the Brookings Institution thinktank in Washington, suggested that 15 million people could lose health insurance compared to Obamacare. He tweeted: “Reading through the House GOP bill, it’s hard to imagine the coverage loss is any less than 15M versus the ACA.” |