Of all the god-awful Obamacare-repeal-and-replace plans that Republicans have proposed, Cassidy-Graham might be the god-awfulest.
Advertisement
Her opposition makes her the third “no” among Republicans, after senators Rand Paul of Kentucky and John McCain of Arizona earlier said they too would vote against the bill.
The changes would increase funding in Arizona by 14 percent, Kentucky by 4 percent, and Alaska by 3 percent.
If Graham-Cassidy passes and becomes law, Washington would lose $10 billion in federal funding for health care – mostly for Medicaid – between 2020 and 2026, according to a study by Avalere, a health-care consulting firm.
Democrats seem unimpressed by the new revisions, calling the explanation provided for smaller funding in states like Alaska as misleading.
Last came the Health Care Freedom Act or “skinny repeal” bill, which was historically defeated by Republican Sens.
McCain all but killed the bill when he announced his opposition on Friday, forcing those trying to win over reluctant supporters to try to buy off senators with big handouts for their states. Collins’s decision means three Republicans have now publicly said they are against the bill – and that’s one more than the GOP could afford to lose.
Paul’s stance is at odds with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has pushed hard to unite the Senate’s 52 Republicans behind a measure that would repeal parts of the Affordable Care Act.
Sen. Susan Collins of ME said repeatedly that she would not announce her voting intentions on the Graham-Cassidy health care measure until she had heard from the Congressional Budget Office.
We need to fix and improve Obamacare and have a single payer option like Medicare and also make it more cost-effective to provide adequate health care to all Americans.
“There are many Republican senators who have committed to voting for the bill who have not had time to fully consider it”.
Congressional Republicans have pushed for years to repeal Obamacare, but they’ve been unable to muster the votes necessary to get across the finish line, even with a majority in both houses of Congress and a Republican in the White House.
In the meantime, the Senate finance committee has a hearing to examine the bill Monday afternoon.
“At the end of the month”, says Pomeroy, “the ability to pass health reform with 51 votes using the budget reconciliation vehicle of 2017 expires, because we move into the 2018 fiscal year”.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, considered to be a “yes” vote, said Sunday that the bill, as written, did not now have his support.
GOP leaders must decide soon whether to press forward with a vote on the measure – something that could be embarrassing if it is defeated.
By one estimate, MI could also lose up to $8 billion in Medicaid funding over the next decade. Members of Congress should pass a bill with bipartisan support, one “that addresses the life, conscience, immigrant access, market stability and affordability problems that now exist”.
“We also applaud that Graham-Cassidy redirects funds from organizations that provide abortion”, the bishops said.
Advertisement
Stabenow has also expressed frustration that the repeal debate this week bumped plans for the Senate to consider a bipartisan deal to extend funding for the federal health insurance program for low-income children, as well as for community health centers – both of which expire September 30.
