House Republicans recently released their plan of an alternative to the Affordable Care Act, giving the new healthcare plan a more conservative vision.
“I’m proud to support the replacement plan released by the House of Representatives. We are going to have something much more understood and more popular than people can even imagine,” said President Donald Trump.
The draft legislation, removed key components from Former President Barack Obama’s healthcare plan such as removing the penalization Americans had to face for failing to obtain health insurance, but kept many other tenets of the bill.
Trump’s healthcare bill, H.R. 1275, has received the official short title as the “World’s Greatest Healthcare Plan of 2017”.
The new bill will allow a surcharge by insurers of 30 percent for those who have a gap between health plans instead of penalization. It also replaces Obamacare’s income and location based tax credits with credits with fixed amounts to a maximum income level.
H.R. 1275, otherwise known as The American Healthcare Act, will keep Obamacare’s policies of dependent coverage until the age of 26, the acceptance of those with pre-existing conditions without additional fees, no annual or lifetime limits, and the annual out-of-pocket maximum.
But some of President Trump’s political party are claiming opposition against Trump’s new plan.
Republican senators, from states that opted to expands Medicaid under Obamacare, oppose any new plan that would leave millions uninsured.
Senators, Rob Portman of Ohio, Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia, Cory Gardner of Colorado, and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska wrote in a letter stating, “We will not support a plan that does not include stability for Medicaid expansion populations or flexibility for states.”
Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who opposes the plan tweeted, “Still have not seen an official version of the House Obamacare replacement bill, but from media reports this sure looks like Obamacare Lite!”
“Pro-Trump” conservative media outlets have also input their criticism of the bill. Outlets like Breitbart News derisively labeled the bill “Obamacare 2.0.”
AARP, sent a letter to congressional leaders after the policy was announced.
“Affordability of both premiums and cost-sharing is critical to older Americans and their ability to obtain and access health care,” the letter reads. “We estimate that the bill’s changes to current law’s tax credits could increase premium cost for a 55-year-old earning $25,000 by more than $2,300 a year.”
According to CNN, President Trump warned GOP members in private that not passing the repeal bill could result in a “bloodbath” in the mid-term elections in 2018.
