Afternoon Roundup, "Zombie TrumpCare" Edition
It’s clear Republicans aren’t listening to constituents back home who “want this repeal crap to stop.” After pulling TrumpCare from the Floor, they are now planning a vote on a revised (read: worse) bill, just so they can say they voted on it before President Trump reaches 100 days in office. The reported changes to the bill double down on proposals to make Americans pay more for less, kick millions off their insurance, and would allow discrimination against those with pre-existing conditions. Are moderate Republicans really going to want to defend that to their constituents? We doubt it. Here’s a look at how it’s playing in the news:
Washington Post: The GOP has a new plan to destroy Obamacare. It’s even crueler than the last one.
“House Republicans have been hinting they may introduce a new plan to replace Obamacare before the 100th day of the Trump presidency. Naturally, giving President Trump something to arbitrarily tout as an achievement (even if it passes the House, the Senate looms) in advance of the arbitrary 100-day mark is far more important than the human toll the proposal would have on millions.”
“Now Republicans are indeed set to introduce the new plan, multiple reports tell us. And judging by a new study set to be released today, it is even crueler than the last GOP plan: The study finds premiums would likely soar for the sick, probably pushing them off coverage.”
Vox:House GOP members are floating a new health plan. Here’s what’s in it.
“House Republicans are floating a new amendment to their health care bill — one that would likely cause even more Americans to lose coverage than the last version.”
“What we do know is that this latest proposal doesn’t do much at all to assuage concerns about the older proposals.”
Huffington Post: Some Republicans Think They May Have A Health Care Deal
“Republicans are trying to say their amendment will cover people with pre-existing conditions… The reality, however, is that insurers would be able to effectively deny coverage by pricing sick people out of the market.”
“In short, some leaders in the GOP conference might think they have a deal, but they also might have just found a way to make the bill even more unpalatable for Republicans, thus bringing Congress no closer at all.”
Politico: White House plans Obamacare showdown next week
“It remains unclear whether the proposal can succeed in shifting any votes — President Donald Trump and leaders were forced to abandon a planned vote last month in the face of intraparty rebellion. They’ve since struggled to find a path forward, and even the deal being floated now relies largely on rehashing concepts lawmakers previously rejected.”
The Hill: Moderate, conservative GOP leaders say they are nearing healthcare deal
“While the new agreement could find support among more conservatives, moderates are likely to remain an obstacle.”
“‘There's no deal,’ said an aide to a moderate House GOP lawmaker. ‘I wouldn't be surprised if they started to lose more moderates’ because of the new changes, the aide added.”
“A senior GOP aide on Thursday expressed doubt that the new agreement could pass.”
New York Magazine: Deal to Revive Zombie Trumpcare Keeps Slipping Away
“And guess what the sticking point is? You got it: How to deal with people who have preexisting health conditions…. Conservatives are not insisting on mandatory national protections for people with preexisting conditions. So it does indeed appear they are further apart than ever.”
Slate: Republicans Are Trying to Reanimate Trumpcare Again. Their Plan Still Sucks.
“It appears that House Republicans are once again attempting to reanimate the corpse of their much-hated health care bill, this time in the hopes that they can give President Donald Trump some semblance of a legislative victory to brag about in time for his 100th day in office.”
Salon: Donald Trump is bringing back Trumpcare — because he cares about how his first 100 days goes
“Even though the Republican Party is still overcoming the embarrassment of its initial (and overwhelmingly unpopular) Obamacare repeal-and-replace bill, as well as a second bill that arguably would have been even worse, that isn’t stopping President Donald Trump from trying to push through some manner of health care bill before his first 100 days are up.”
“…The new bill is not guaranteed to do any better among moderate Republicans than its predecessor.”
DailyKos:Republicans hope to fake it till they make it with new twist on zombie Trumpcare
“Despite last month’s Trumpcare disaster and the growing popularity of Obamacare, Republicans have kept working on zombie Trumpcare, and now they seem to think they have the next plan they’re going to fail with…”