SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Republican Trainwreck: Millions at Risk as Trump Demands Healthcare Vote
New Congressional Budget Office analysis finds that recently unveiled cuts would be even worse economically while still threatening coverage for 24 million people by 2026
Mar 24, 2017
In their frenzied effort to strong-arm support for the flailing American Health Care Act (AHCA) before a vote on Friday, President Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan have officially made the Republican plan even worse.
| Tweets about #ProtectOurCare OR #AHCA |
Trump issued a stark ultimatum to wavering House Republicans late Thursday, dispatching budget director Mick Mulvaney to tell lawmakers that if they don't get behind the AHCA, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), or Obamacare, will remain the "law of the land."
The Hill reported:
At a dramatic closed-door House GOP conference meeting, Trump's budget director, Mick Mulvaney, delivered the message to rank-and-file Republicans: After weeks of talks, Trump is done negotiating the bill and wants a vote on Friday, according to a source in the room.
The House had been set to vote Thursday on the American Health Care Act (AHCA), but the vote was delayed after Trump and leadership couldn't corral the necessary 215 GOP votes.
If the vote fails Friday, Mulvaney warned, Trump will move on to other priorities like tax reform, and ObamaCare will stay as the law of the land.
But with only 17 percent public support and a new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis (pdf) finding that recently unveiled cuts would be even worse economically while still threatening coverage for 24 million people by 2026, Republicans across the political spectrum are threatening to jump ship.
Watch the House vote and debate below:
According to the CBO, the legislation would now reduce the deficit by $150 billion over 10 years, significantly less than $337 billion reduction than the previous draft. At the same time, premiums would still rise initially by 15 to 20 percent above those under Obamacare before eventually falling 10 percent by 2026.
In a last-minute gift to the ultraconservative House Freedom caucus, Ryan and Trump stripped (pdf) the AHCA of the "essential health benefits" central to Obamacare, which mandates that insurance plans include coverage for basic care, such as maternity and wellness visits.
That change, not included in the latest CBO analysis, could cause the individual insurance market to "collapse" in 2018 according to ACA expert Nicholas Bagley, a professor at the University of Michigan Law School, who described the amendment as "irresponsible, ambiguous, and destructive."
Ignoring recent polling that found that the majority of Americans support women's reproductive rights and Planned Parenthood, Trump on Friday attempted to woo the most conservative factions, tweeting:
Meanwhile, grassroots opponents of the bill continue to swarm moderate Republicans with office visits, phone calls, and protests demanding they vote against the AHCA.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Lauren McCauley
Lauren McCauley is a former senior editor for Common Dreams covering national and international politics and progressive news. She is now the Editor of Maine Morning Star. Lauren also helped produce a number of documentary films, including the award-winning Soundtrack for a Revolution and The Hollywood Complex, as well as one currently in production about civil rights icon James Meredith. Her writing has been featured on Newsweek, BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, and Extra! the newsletter of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. She currently lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband, two children, a dog, and several chickens.
In their frenzied effort to strong-arm support for the flailing American Health Care Act (AHCA) before a vote on Friday, President Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan have officially made the Republican plan even worse.
| Tweets about #ProtectOurCare OR #AHCA |
Trump issued a stark ultimatum to wavering House Republicans late Thursday, dispatching budget director Mick Mulvaney to tell lawmakers that if they don't get behind the AHCA, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), or Obamacare, will remain the "law of the land."
The Hill reported:
At a dramatic closed-door House GOP conference meeting, Trump's budget director, Mick Mulvaney, delivered the message to rank-and-file Republicans: After weeks of talks, Trump is done negotiating the bill and wants a vote on Friday, according to a source in the room.
The House had been set to vote Thursday on the American Health Care Act (AHCA), but the vote was delayed after Trump and leadership couldn't corral the necessary 215 GOP votes.
If the vote fails Friday, Mulvaney warned, Trump will move on to other priorities like tax reform, and ObamaCare will stay as the law of the land.
But with only 17 percent public support and a new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis (pdf) finding that recently unveiled cuts would be even worse economically while still threatening coverage for 24 million people by 2026, Republicans across the political spectrum are threatening to jump ship.
Watch the House vote and debate below:
According to the CBO, the legislation would now reduce the deficit by $150 billion over 10 years, significantly less than $337 billion reduction than the previous draft. At the same time, premiums would still rise initially by 15 to 20 percent above those under Obamacare before eventually falling 10 percent by 2026.
In a last-minute gift to the ultraconservative House Freedom caucus, Ryan and Trump stripped (pdf) the AHCA of the "essential health benefits" central to Obamacare, which mandates that insurance plans include coverage for basic care, such as maternity and wellness visits.
That change, not included in the latest CBO analysis, could cause the individual insurance market to "collapse" in 2018 according to ACA expert Nicholas Bagley, a professor at the University of Michigan Law School, who described the amendment as "irresponsible, ambiguous, and destructive."
Ignoring recent polling that found that the majority of Americans support women's reproductive rights and Planned Parenthood, Trump on Friday attempted to woo the most conservative factions, tweeting:
Meanwhile, grassroots opponents of the bill continue to swarm moderate Republicans with office visits, phone calls, and protests demanding they vote against the AHCA.
Lauren McCauley
Lauren McCauley is a former senior editor for Common Dreams covering national and international politics and progressive news. She is now the Editor of Maine Morning Star. Lauren also helped produce a number of documentary films, including the award-winning Soundtrack for a Revolution and The Hollywood Complex, as well as one currently in production about civil rights icon James Meredith. Her writing has been featured on Newsweek, BillMoyers.com, TruthDig, Truthout, In These Times, and Extra! the newsletter of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting. She currently lives in Kennebunk, Maine with her husband, two children, a dog, and several chickens.
In their frenzied effort to strong-arm support for the flailing American Health Care Act (AHCA) before a vote on Friday, President Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan have officially made the Republican plan even worse.
| Tweets about #ProtectOurCare OR #AHCA |
Trump issued a stark ultimatum to wavering House Republicans late Thursday, dispatching budget director Mick Mulvaney to tell lawmakers that if they don't get behind the AHCA, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), or Obamacare, will remain the "law of the land."
The Hill reported:
At a dramatic closed-door House GOP conference meeting, Trump's budget director, Mick Mulvaney, delivered the message to rank-and-file Republicans: After weeks of talks, Trump is done negotiating the bill and wants a vote on Friday, according to a source in the room.
The House had been set to vote Thursday on the American Health Care Act (AHCA), but the vote was delayed after Trump and leadership couldn't corral the necessary 215 GOP votes.
If the vote fails Friday, Mulvaney warned, Trump will move on to other priorities like tax reform, and ObamaCare will stay as the law of the land.
But with only 17 percent public support and a new Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis (pdf) finding that recently unveiled cuts would be even worse economically while still threatening coverage for 24 million people by 2026, Republicans across the political spectrum are threatening to jump ship.
Watch the House vote and debate below:
According to the CBO, the legislation would now reduce the deficit by $150 billion over 10 years, significantly less than $337 billion reduction than the previous draft. At the same time, premiums would still rise initially by 15 to 20 percent above those under Obamacare before eventually falling 10 percent by 2026.
In a last-minute gift to the ultraconservative House Freedom caucus, Ryan and Trump stripped (pdf) the AHCA of the "essential health benefits" central to Obamacare, which mandates that insurance plans include coverage for basic care, such as maternity and wellness visits.
That change, not included in the latest CBO analysis, could cause the individual insurance market to "collapse" in 2018 according to ACA expert Nicholas Bagley, a professor at the University of Michigan Law School, who described the amendment as "irresponsible, ambiguous, and destructive."
Ignoring recent polling that found that the majority of Americans support women's reproductive rights and Planned Parenthood, Trump on Friday attempted to woo the most conservative factions, tweeting:
Meanwhile, grassroots opponents of the bill continue to swarm moderate Republicans with office visits, phone calls, and protests demanding they vote against the AHCA.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.
To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good.
News & Opinion
Trending
Common Dreams, Inc. Founded 1997. Registered 501(c3) Non-Profit
Privacy Policy