Finally after many announcements, Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives unveiled legislation to replace the Obamacare healthcare law and President wrote a tweet to endorse it “Our wonderful new Healthcare Bill is now out for review and negotiation. ObamaCare is a complete and total disaster – is imploding fast!”
The American American Health Care Act, so has been named, will eliminate the requirement that most Americans obtain medical insurance and create a system of tax credits to persuade people to purchase private insurance on the open market. It also has maintained some of the popolar key points of the Obamacare
Here the main point of the proposed legislation:
- Repeal individual mandate
- Maintain coverage for pre-existing conditions
- Allow children to stay on parents’ plan until age 26
- Replace subsidies with capped refundable tax credits ( based on age rather than income)
- Allow state Medicaid expansion trhough 2020
“The American Health Care Act is a plan to drive down costs, encourage competition, and give every American access to quality, affordable health insurance. It protects young adults, patients with pre-existing conditions, and provides a stable transition so that no one has the rug pulled out from under them,” House Speaker Paul Ryan said in a statement.
However not also Democrats are already lined up in opposition to the Obamacare repeal plan, but also some conservatives complained the bill did not go far enough in removing government from the healthcare industry and one Republican senator dubbed it “Obamacare Lite.”
Even if Republicans control both Congress and the White House, the future remains uncertain for the plan. It must win approval in the House and the Senate before it could go to Trump for his signature. In the Senate, Republicans hold a narrower majority and some conservatives have expressed doubts.
Two House committees will next review the bill, so it could still change substantially.
White House Office of Budget and Management Director Mick Mulvaney said the plan should pass the House before lawmakers break in mid-April.
U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan is confident on the legislation passing in the House of Representatives: “This is the beginning of the legislative process … we’ll have 218 when this thing comes to the floor (of the House), I can guarantee you that,” Ryan said, referring to the 218 votes needed to pass legislation in the Republican-controlled House.
