Republicans Eye Last-Ditch Attempt to Repeal Obamacare, Again

Just two weeks ago, the forecast for Republicans was bleak: the GOP had dramatically failed to repeal Obamacare earlier in the summer, and reports of tension on Capitol Hill made it seem unlikely they would pull it together. But in a startling reversal of fortune over the last week, Republicans lawmakers have resuscitated a new effort to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. The bill in question, Graham-Cassidy, named for its co-sponsors Sen. Lindsey Graham and Rep. Bill Cassidy, has earned the White House’s backing, and received tacit support on Tuesday from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. “It is better than the status quo by far. That’s an argument we’re comfortable making,” McConnell said at a press conference outside the Senate chamber after the weekly party caucus luncheons. “If we’re going to go forward, we’ll have to act before Sept. 30. We’re in the process of discussing this.” Graham-Cassidy would be a massive restructuring of the current U.S. healthcare system. Under the Affordable Care Act, the federal government foots the bill for an ongoing expansion of Medicaid and subsidies that ease healthcare costs for less fortunate Americans — an annual tab of about $110 billion — and Graham-Cassidy would do away with both. Instead, it would introduce a decade-long “block grant” system that would give each state an annual lump sum with which they can devise their own healthcare systems...
Source: TIME.com: Top Science and Health Stories - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Affordable Care Act Congress Donald Trump Health Care Healthcare Lindsey Graham Mitch McConnell Obamacare Source Type: news