The ACHA Passes the House

On Thursday, May 5, 2017, House Republicans finally got what they have been asking for, and campaigning on, for several years. They held a successful floor vote on the American Health Care Act (AHCA), approving the bill by a narrow 217-213. Following the vote, President Donald Trump hosted Republicans at the White House for a celebratory press conference, saying that he was “so confident” that the House version would be taken up and passed in the Senate. Senate Republicans quickly made it clear that they would not use the House-passed AHCA as a starting point, and would instead create their own package that could then be reconciled with what was passed in the House. This next step could take weeks, or even months, as Senate Republicans navigate their own ideological divides and ensure that any legislation conforms with budget reconciliation rules. The Bill While many are happy that the bill repealed Obamacare to a certain extent, others are concerned that the bill will hurt healthcare for many. The bill will likely lower premiums for younger, healthier, people and raise premiums for older and less healthy payors. Young people can still remain on their parents’ health insurance until age 26. The bill also does away with the individual mandate, meaning no one will be forced to pay a penalty if they go without health insurance for more than a short period of time, but does provide for different incentives for people to maintain their coverage. A quick google search can...
Source: Policy and Medicine - Category: American Health Authors: Source Type: blogs