Tag: repeal and replace

Trump says GOP senators are working on an Obamacare replacement and it will be ‘spectacular’

President Trump Credit: Win McNamee, Getty

President Trump announced Thursday that a team of GOP senators is ready to give health care another shot after nearly a decade of promising and failing to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

But he added the caveat that he is in no rush to get it done.

Trump resurrected the issue this week after the Justice Department, in a court filing Monday, said it supported the full elimination of President Barack Obama’s signature legislative achievement. The president’s assertion that Republicans would become “the party of health care” surprised some Republicans, who thought they had missed their chance to replace the law.

View the complete March 28 article by Colby Itkowitz on The Washington Post website here.

GOP’s Plan B for Obamacare — repeal first, replace later — began with quiet push from Koch network

The following article by Lisa Mascaro was posted on the Los Angeles Times website June 30, 2017:

Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) talks on his phone outside the Senate office buildings on Capitol Hill. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

President Trump’s surprise suggestion Friday that deadlocked Senate Republicans shift their focus to simply repealing Obamacare — and worry about replacing it later — has its roots in a Koch network proposal that has been shopped around Congress for months.

The influential Koch network, backed by the billionaire industrialists, floated the idea most recently at a retreat last weekend in Colorado Springs, Colo., where key conservative lawmakers heard an earful from frustrated GOP donors about the party’s failure to deliver on their signature campaign promise.

Among those attending the gathering at the luxurious Broadmoor Hotel was Republican Sen. Ben Sasse of Nebraska, who has been working with the White House behind the scenes on the idea. Continue reading “GOP’s Plan B for Obamacare — repeal first, replace later — began with quiet push from Koch network”

What happens when the federal government eliminates health coverage? Lessons from the past

The following article by Simon Haeder was posted on the Conversation website June 23, 2017:

David Zalubowski/AP

After much secrecy and no public deliberation, Senate Republicans finalized release their “draft” repeal and replace bill for the Affordable Care Act on June 22. Unquestionably, the released “draft” will not be the final version.

Amendments and a potential, albeit not necessary, conference committee are likely to make some adjustments. However, both the House version – American Health Care Act (AHCA) – and the Senate’s Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA) will significantly reduce coverage for millions of Americans and reshape insurance for virtually everyone. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) is expected to provide final numbers early the week of June 26.

If successful, the repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act would be in rare company. Even though the U.S. has been slower than any other Western country to develop a safety net, the U.S. has rarely taken back benefits once they have been bestowed on its citizenry. Indeed, only a small number of significant cases come to mind. Continue reading “What happens when the federal government eliminates health coverage? Lessons from the past”

The Impact of the House ACA Repeal Bill on Enrollees’ Costs

The following article by David Cutler, Topher Spiro and Emily Gee was posted on the Center for American Progress website March 16, 2017:

AP/Nam Y. Huh
Holly Brown, 28, who has a chronic lung condition, looks over medical records at her home in Round Lake, Illinois, on December 10, 2009.

After eight years, the congressional majority has finally released its health care legislation. Their bill, the American Health Care Act, can now be compared side-by-side with the Affordable Care Act, or ACA, based on how it affects enrollees’ pocketbooks. It does not measure up well; the House bill would increase both total consumer costs and the risk of a financially devastating event.

The congressional majority argues that by cutting back insurance standards, their bill would lower premiums. The Congressional Budget Office, or CBO, estimates that the bill would increase average premiums by 15 to 20 percent in 2018 and 2019, but that it would slightly lower average premiums by 10 percent by 2026.1 The bill would lower average premiums over the long run because older, costlier individuals who can no longer afford plans would drop out of the pool. Additionally, plans would cover a lower share of costs. Continue reading “The Impact of the House ACA Repeal Bill on Enrollees’ Costs”

Secretary Ben Carson made a comparison to slaves coming to the United States as immigrants, saying America was the only country “big enough” to allow them to realize their dreams.

The following column by Michael Hiltzik was posted on the L.A. Times website March 6, 2017:

After weeks of expectations — actually, nearly seven years of expectations — House Republicans on Monday released their proposal to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

Elements of the proposal, which was kept under lock and key last week — have been dribbling out for a few days. The text of the bill encompassing the GOP plan validates much of that reporting. On the whole, however, it’s a nastier, more consumer-unfriendly proposal than even close followers could have expected. Continue reading “Secretary Ben Carson made a comparison to slaves coming to the United States as immigrants, saying America was the only country “big enough” to allow them to realize their dreams.”

Obamacare “Replacement”

The following article was posted on the TrumpAccountability website March 7, 2017:


The Republicans released their replacement of Obamacare Monday afternoon. Here are the most important takeaways:

  1. The plan includes tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans
  2. There will be less financial support for older and poorer Americans
  3. Because there is less money raised in taxes, many Americans will effectively lose their coverage
  4. Republicans crafted the plan in secrecy (even their own members didn’t know the full details)
  5. The full impact of the plan is not clear because it has not been scored by the Congressional Budget Office

Winners: Wealthy Americans and insurance companies

Losers: Older and poorer Americans

Call your representatives to demand that full hearings and town halls be held to review the impact of the bill before it’s too late.

In Secret, The GOP Is Also Planning To Gut Medicaid And Medicare

The following article by @LOLGOP was posted on the National Memo website March 6, 2017:

House Republicans are now busily working to repeal the Affordable Care Act in secret.

Even when the GOP plan is done and made public, the secrecy will continue. The potential impact will still be hidden from the public, as it’s likely to not have any score from the Congressional Budget Office before the House votes on it. This means members of the House will not have any real idea of how many people they’re voting to uninsure, how much this plan will increase the deficit, and just how big a giveaway it will be to the rich.

Why is Paul Ryan is hiding his plan?

He knows that Republicans cannot afford an honest debate about the GOP’s repeal plans, especially their true intentions for Medicaid and Medicare. Continue reading “In Secret, The GOP Is Also Planning To Gut Medicaid And Medicare”

How The Republican Obamacare Repeal Shuts Out The Poor

The following article by Alex Kotch originally published in the Washington Spectator was posted on the National Memo website March 1, 2017:

Throughout his campaign, Donald Trump vowed to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, calling President Barack Obama’s signature domestic policy achievement “a disaster.” With a Republican majority in Congress, and a secretary of health and human services who was a leading critic of the ACA while he served in the House, Trump may very well get his wish.

The new HHS secretary Tom Price, in fact, is eager to assist in this venture. The former Georgia Congressman wants to get rid of the ACA and make big cuts to Medicaid, the federally funded state insurance program for the poor and disabled. But as Price settles into his new role, North Carolina’s newly elected Democratic governor is racing against time to expand Medicaid as allowed by the Affordable Care Act. Continue reading “How The Republican Obamacare Repeal Shuts Out The Poor”

The political time bomb at the heart of Republican Obamacare alternatives: Higher costs for more Americans

The following article by Noam N. Levey was posted on the L.A. Times website February 28, 2017:

Republicans came into office this year promising to rescue Americans from rising healthcare bills by repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act.

But the party’s emerging healthcare proposals would shift even more costs to patients, feeding the very problem GOP politicians complained about under Obamacare.

And their solutions could hit not only Americans who have Obamacare health plans, but also tens of millions more who rely on employer coverage or on government health plans such as Medicaid and Medicare.

House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) and other congressional leaders, as well as new Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, favor bringing back slimmed-down health plans that were phased out under Obamacare. Such “catastrophic” plans typically offer fewer benefits and often require patients to pay much larger deductibles. Continue reading “The political time bomb at the heart of Republican Obamacare alternatives: Higher costs for more Americans”

Two top Republicans open to repairing Obamacare ahead of repeal

The following article by Kelsey Snell and Mike DeBonis was posted on the Washington Post website February 2, 2017:

Two top Republicans long expected to lead the Senate’s role in repealing the Affordable Care Act said publicly this week that they are open to repairing former president Barack Obama’s landmark health-care law ahead of a wholesale repeal, which has been a GOP target for eight years.

Coming one week after a closed-door strategy session in which Republicans expressed frank concerns about the political ramifications of repealing the law and the practical difficulties of doing so, statements this week by Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) and Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) brought into public view the political and policy challenges the GOP is facing. Continue reading “Two top Republicans open to repairing Obamacare ahead of repeal”