House Republicans under pressure by Trump to deliver compromise bill for Obamacare repeal

[corbe]

House Republicans under pressure by Trump to deliver compromise bill for Obamacare repeal

Allows states to roll back Obamacare rules if they choose

By Tom Howell Jr. - The Washington Times - Thursday, April 20, 2017

Under pressure to deliver a win for President Trump, House Republicans are working on a new Obamacare repeal compromise that could bridge the divide between hard-line conservatives and centrists who tanked the first attempt.

The proposal by Rep. Thomas MacArthur, New Jersey Republican, would shift to the states the burden of deciding what services insurers must cover and would let insurers charge healthy customers less, so long as states set up risk pools to subsidize sicker people priced out of the market.

No state could waive the part of the Affordable Care Act requiring insurers to cover people with pre-existing medical conditions, however, preserving the most popular part of the 2010 Affordable Care Act.

“This amendment will make coverage of pre-existing conditions sacrosanct for all Americans and ensures essential health benefits remains the federal standard,” Mr. MacArthur, chairman of the moderate Tuesday Group, said on his Facebook page Thursday after Politico published a one-page description of his plan.

It’s unclear whether the proposal can win over enough holdouts to pass. Republicans’ first go-around last month ended in a mess after leaders were unable to muster the votes and had to yank the bill.

A Republican aide said lawmakers don’t even have legislative text of the proposal so they don’t know whether it can bridge the gap.

Yet President Trump was bullish about their progress, saying House Republicans could revive their plan and hold a vote either next week or shortly thereafter.

“The plan gets better and better and better, and it’s gotten really good,” Mr. Trump said at a joint press conference with Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni.

House Republicans are under immense pressure from the White House to deliver an Obamacare repeal, a campaign vow that hasn’t been fulfilled as Mr. Trump nears 100 days on the job.

Failing a second time would be a gut punch for the party as it tries prove it can wield all the levers of political power successfully. After health care, Mr. Trump wants to tackle tax reform and a $1 trillion infrastructure plan.

House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, Wisconsin Republican, signaled on Wednesday that negotiators were putting the finishing touches on a plan to bridge rifts within the party over health care, although lawmakers also must focus on a stopgap spending bill to keep the government funded when it returns from its two-week break.

“I want to get both,” Mr. Trump said. “I think we’ll get both.”

Under the MacArthur plan, states could ask Health and Human Services Secretary Thomas Price to waive Obamacare’s “essential health benefits” package, which requires insurers to cover a slate of services such as mental health and maternity care.

They also could scrap community rating, in which insurers are required to charge the same prices to everyone in a given area. Insurers wouldn’t be allowed to discriminate based on gender or age, though older people still could be charged up to five times more than young people.

States could allow insurers to charge sicker consumers more than healthy ones, so long as they set up a “high risk pool” to absorb some of their costs.

That could win over hard-line House Freedom Caucus members, though it may scare off centrists who don’t want to tweak the guarantees of Obamacare.

While sicker customers could still get covered, they might face high premiums, health care analysts said.

The analysts said legislative details will be crucial, including who would be in the high-risk pool and how much they would have to pay to get covered.

“Maybe this is enough to convince the Freedom Caucus people that states can do what they want to do, but I don’t see this as being very popular,” said Timothy Jost, a law professor at Washington and Lee University in Virginia who closely tracks the debate. “It would make coverage unaffordable for many older consumers and would segregate high-cost consumers in coverage that would likely be inadequate unless the high-risk pools were very generously funded.”

Democrats accused Republicans of making a bad bill worse.

“To make the bill more palatable to right-wingers, the big change appears to be the abandonment of the protections for people with pre-existing conditions. Yet another Trump promise shattered,” said Sen. Christopher Murphy, Connecticut Democrat. “The Republican health care repeal bill was an unworkable, unpopular piece of garbage a month ago, and it still is today.”

<..snip..>

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/apr/20/house-gop-compromise-health-care-reform-emerges-th/?utm_content=social&utm_medium=@federalists_usa&utm_source=thenewamericana.com&utm_campaign=thefederalistparty.org

[Cyber Liberty]

Failing a second time would be a gut punch for the party as it tries prove it can wield all the levers of political power successfully. After health care, Mr. Trump wants to tackle tax reform and a $1 trillion infrastructure plan.

Let's hope this time Ryan actually listened to the HFC's concerns (and did something about them), instead of just telling them to take it or leave it.

[To-Whose-Benefit?]

Let's hope this time Ryan actually listened to the HFC's concerns (and did something about them), instead of just telling them to take it or leave it.

Ryan: Half of the Barnum and Baily Clown Team that cursed us with Bammy's 2nd 4 years.

Yeah, sure, he'll get on board with the plan THIS time.

BOHICA

[geronl]

No state could waive the part of the Affordable Care Act requiring insurers to cover people with pre-existing medical conditions, however, preserving the most popular part of the 2010 Affordable Care Act.

In other words, ObamaCare is here to stay, forever.

[geronl]

Look Bub, I put new tires on this lemon and a new coat of paint, just buy it already!

[Cyber Liberty]

Ryan: Half of the Barnum and Baily Clown Team that cursed us with Bammy's 2nd 4 years.

Yeah, sure, he'll get on board with the plan THIS time.

BOHICA

If I were forced to make book on it, I'd be forced to agree with your overall assessment.  BOHICA.

Ryan's being every bit the Speaker I always expected he'd be.

[Bigun]

If I were forced to make book on it, I'd be forced to agree with your overall assessment.  BOHICA.

Ryan's being every bit the Speaker I always expected he'd be.

I never expected much from Boehner's chief butt boy.

[Applewood]

Oh well.  Another promise broken.  Why did we expect, when Trump and the Republicans promised repeal,  they really meant "repeal?"

And the party wonders why people are leaving the fold in droves.

[Cyber Liberty]

I never expected much from Boehner's chief butt boy.

I like the way you stated it better!   

[jmyrlefuller]

Further compromise on an already compromised bill.

[Cyber Liberty]

Further compromise on an already compromised bill.

A camel is a beast that was designed by committee.  Like this bill.   

[skeeter]

A camel is a beast that was designed by committee.  Like this bill.   

And this bill now has its nose well under the tent. ACA is a fact of life now. For ever and ever amen.

[Cyber Liberty]

And this bill now has its nose well under the tent. ACA is a fact of life now. For ever and ever amen.

Looking at the big picture, I think ACA became fact when Obama was reelected despite/because of it.  The GOP blew things that badly in nominating Romney because it was his turn.  David Limbaugh wrote a whole book about it at the time, and he said were permanently screwed, blued and tattooed if Obama won in 2012, and he was correct.

[Bigun]

Looking at the big picture, I think ACA became fact when Obama was reelected despite/because of it.  The GOP blew things that badly in nominating Romney because it was his turn.  David Limbaugh wrote a whole book about it at the time, and he said were permanently screwed, blued and tattooed if Obama won in 2012, and he was correct.

What dancing with the devil gets you every time!  I have grown to absolutely detest the word "compromise" when applied to government.

[bigheadfred]

    

[Cyber Liberty]

What dancing with the devil gets you every time!  I have grown to absolutely detest the word "compromise" when applied to government.

This business about compromise reminds me of a joke I once heard.

A Genie made a proposition to an Engineer and a Scientist (both single):  You can be in a room with a beautiful woman, lying naked on the bed.  Every time you speak, you will get half-way to her.  When you first speak, you move five feet, next time 2 1/2 feet and so on.

The Scientist says "No way!  I'll never get to her!"  The Engineer takes the deal, and says, "After enough words I'll be close enough to get the job done."

Compromising with the Dems, who never budge in the compromise, will eventually get them close enough to get the job done, all they need is for us to constantly compromise while they keep moving the goal post.  Ryan is the perfect patsy, just like Boehner before him.

[To-Whose-Benefit?]

What dancing with the devil gets you every time!  I have grown to absolutely detest the word "compromise" when applied to government.

Bipartisan: synonym for date rape.