Buzz
Republicans in Congress need to push through their Affordable Care Act repeal by September 30, or it won’t happen. This revives the prospect of Zombie Trumpcare, and a few lawmakers still believe it could succeed. Take a closer look at the bill—you may want to make a few calls.
The September 30 deadline is crucial because that’s when the budget reconciliation rules expire. With a slim Republican majority in both the House and Senate, they lack the votes to overcome a filibuster. The budget reconciliation loophole allows them to pass legislation with only Republican support if they get over 50 percent approval in both houses and can present the bill as a budgetary adjustment rather than a completely new policy. These objectives are theoretically achievable, though no ACA repeal bill has succeeded under this method. After September 30, the path forward will require a 60 percent majority in both chambers to pass any new health care laws.
With the deadline approaching, some lawmakers are pivoting. Bernie Sanders has introduced a bill advocating for a single-payer system that would offer nearly free health care for everyone, funded by unclear higher taxes. Meanwhile, a bipartisan proposal is coming to offer a temporary fix to stabilize the insurance markets, which remain unstable due to the President’s threats to halt cost-sharing reduction payments required by law.
The Final Push
Here are the key details of the last-minute repeal bill, known as the Cassidy-Graham bill, introduced by Senators Cassidy, Graham, Heller, and Johnson.
This bill is quite similar to previous proposals. Here are the main takeaways:
You wouldn’t be able to buy subsidized insurance from the exchanges anymore; everyone purchasing private insurance would pay full price.
Medicaid expansion would be eliminated, leaving millions without coverage.
The current federal funds for the 30 states with Medicaid expansion would be redistributed across all 50 states. This means that expansion states (mostly blue states) would see a reduction in federal funding for their citizens’ insurance, while non-expansion states (mostly red) would receive a larger share.
States could ‘keep their Obamacare’ only if they contribute extra funds to maintain it.
States would be allowed to waive ACA protections for pre-existing conditions and essential health benefits.
As a result, millions would lose their coverage—32 million, according to unofficial estimates—and it would become harder for states that currently cover low-income individuals to continue doing so. This bill is problematic, and it’s not just a partisan issue. Democrats oppose it, and so do at least some Republicans:
For more details on the Cassidy-Graham bill, check out this explainer from Vox, or read the full text of the bill here.
