Senate Republicans, You Might Want to Read This

As zombie TrumpCare comes back to life once again, our Senate Republican friends should be aware that this latest version doesn’t address any of the issues they were concerned about before.  From no opioid funding, to not protecting Americans with pre-existing conditions, this is a bad bill that would harm millions of Americans across the country.

From Axios:

What's missing from Graham-Cassidy

Axios // Sam Baker

September 19, 2017

Throughout this summer's effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, Republican senators outlined a treasury of specific provisions they needed to see tweaked, added, or eliminated in order to win their support.

The latest effort, from Sens. Lindsey Graham and Bill Cassidy, addresses almost none of them. Here's a quick rundown of some one-time ‘must-haves’ that have gone missing from this bill:

  • A soft landing: Republicans went back and forth last time about how to gradually phase out the ACA's Medicaid expansion; which formula to use in setting new caps on the program's spending; and how to make new premium subsidies more generous. Graham-Cassidy comes with a steep cliff after which all funding for both the subsidies and Medicaid expansion would disappear.
  • Opioid funding: A former must-have for moderate Republicans, this is not in the new bill at all.
  • Taxes: Conservatives like Sens. Tom Cotton, Pat Toomey, and David Perdue have complained about the ACA's taxes for years. Graham-Cassidy would leave many of the ACA taxes in place (a big reason why Sen. Rand Paul opposes it).
  • Pre-existing conditions: Any number of Republican senators said they wanted to retain the ACA's protections for people with pre-existing conditions. Graham-Cassidy would let states waive parts of those regulations.
  • Coverage estimates: The Congressional Budget Office said yesterday it will be able to determine whether the bill would meet the Senate's budget rules, but could not deliver estimates in time next week about its effects on premiums, the federal deficit, or the number of uninsured Americans.
  • A clear path through the House: The House has way more Republicans from blue states than the Senate does. Some representatives from New York have already raised concerns, and we're sure to hear more from lawmakers from California, New Jersey, Michigan, and other states.

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