The following article by Emily C. Singer was posted on the mic.com website November 14, 2017:
Republicans just can’t quit their unpopular effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
After multiple failed efforts to repeal former President Barack Obama’s signature health care bill, Republicans announced on Tuesday they will try to tack a repeal of the individual mandate — a key pillar of the health care law — onto the GOP tax reform bill.
Repealing the individual mandate — which was part of the “skinny repeal” effort that failed in the Senate over the summer — would free up funds that Republicans could use to pay for their tax cuts.
However, repealing the mandate would have negative consequences for Americans.
An additional 13 million Americans wouldn’t have health insurance by 2027, and those in the individual health insurance market would see their premiums increase, according to a report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.
“Those effects would occur mainly because healthier people would be less likely to obtain insurance and because, especially in the nongroup market, the resulting increases in premiums would cause more people to not purchase insurance,” the CBO said in its report.
Senate Republican leadership thinks the plan has the 50 votes necessary to pass the bill in the chamber.
@SenJohnThune CONFIRMS:
-Individual mandate repeal will be added to tax bill in SFC.
-They have 50 votes on the floor.
-Passing Alexander-Murray alongside (not within the tax bill) is part of the deal.
However, according to the Washington Post’s Mike DeBonis, the deal is contingent upon passing an ACA stabilization bill alongside the tax plan, known as the Alexander-Murray plan.
House Republicans plan to vote on their version of tax reform on Thursday.
The Senate could vote on their version next week.
If tax reform passes both chambers, the House and Senate would have to come together to reconcile the differences in their respective versions of the bill.
View the post here.