The House narrowly passed the Republican-prized bill that would repeal and replace Obamacare.
Advertisement
Even though the US Senate still has to act, Republicans now largely own a measure that would curtail, and in some cases take away completely, benefits Americans have embraced after seven years.
Democrats countered that the GOP bill would have the opposite effect from what Trump predicted, pointing to estimates it will kick millions off the insurance roles while imperiling coverage for people with pre-existing conditions who had gained protections under Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act.
“We expect there to be some changes, but we expect the principles and the main pillars of the health care bill, as it exists right now, to remain the same”, said White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
The spot directs viewers to call a number that connects to the Capitol switchboard.
If the Senate parliamentarian decides a portion of a bill runs afoul of the Byrd rule, it could be nixed.
Republican lawmakers and supporters of the bill say it will lower premiums and deductibles and give consumers more control over their health care. It will eliminate Obamacare taxes on the wealthy, insurers and others.
“Progressives are going to hang this around the necks of every one of those Republicans”, said Angel Padilla, co-founder of the liberal group Indivisible. Republicans in the upper house have expressed misgivings about phasing out the expanded Medicaid program, which has enrolled some 550,000 New Jerseyans in three years.
The list was put together by the Kaiser Family Foundation, which also estimates the $100 billion will not be enough to cover the higher premiums, but bill supporters say it will reduce premiums for most Americans.
“We need 50 votes and there are 52 of us”, he said.
This is despite the fact that health care experts from across the political spectrum have said that the Republican health care bill is unworkable and suffers from fatal flaws and could lead to Americans dropping out of the health care market.
As of now, because the GOP pushed to vote before a new CBO score was released, it is unclear how much the new health care legislation would cost or how many people might lose their coverage.
Democrats warn the bill will strip insurance from millions of Americans and send costs rocketing.
Advertisement
President Trump tried to clean that up with a Tweet on Friday. There are still 18 months before the 2018 election, whereas House Democrats eked out final passage of the ACA less than eight months before the 2010 midterms.
