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U.S. NEWS A3
Wednesday 8 March 2017
Conservative backlash threatens to sink new GOP health bill
Continued from Front House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Rep, Kevin Brady, R-Texas, left, follows House he was “very concerned”
that people will be “left in
Instead, the groups that Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore. to a news conference the lurch” under the House
are uniting to oppose the GOP plan.
new House legislation in- on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 7, 2017, as House Republicans introduce their plan Committee votes on
clude many that sprang the new bill are to begin
up to oppose passage of to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite) Wednesday in the House,
“Obamacare” in the first and GOP leaders hope to
place. push it through the Senate
“As the bill stands today, as well soon thereafter.
it is Obamacare 2.0,” the Even as some Republicans
billionaire Koch Brothers- expressed doubts about
backed Americans for whether that would be
Prosperity and Freedom possible, Speaker Ryan
Partners Chamber of Com- said at an afternoon news
merce said in a statement. conference, “We’ll have
“Millions of Americans 218 when this thing comes
would never see the im- to the floor I can guaran-
provements in care they tee you that.” That’s the
were promised, just as number of votes needed
Obamacare failed to de- for passage.
liver on its promises.” As the conservative oppo-
Republicans are intent on sition mounted, Health and
reducing the role of gov- Human Services Secretary
ernment in health care. Tom Price appeared in the
The new GOP plan would White House briefing room
repeal the current law’s to defend the bill. q
unpopular fines on people
who don’t carry health would be covered, al-
insurance. It also would though GOP lawmakers
replace income-based acknowledge they can’t
subsidies, which the law hope to match the 20 mil-
provides to help millions of lion Americans covered
Americans pay premiums, under Obamacare.
with age-based tax cred- Conservatives are focus-
its that may be skimpier for ing on a new system of re-
people with low incomes. fundable tax credits they
Those payments would denounce as a costly new
phase out for higher-earn- entitlement, and they de-
ing people. mand a vote on a straight-
The Republican legisla- forward repeal-only bill.
tion would limit future fed- The new legislation is “not
eral funding for Medicaid, the Obamacare replace-
which covers low-income ment plan, not the Obam-
people, about 1 in 5 Ameri- acare repeal plan we’ve
cans. And it would loosen been hoping for. This is in-
rules that Obama’s law stead a step in the wrong
imposed for health plans direction,” Sen. Mike Lee,
directly purchased by in- R-Utah, said at an after-
dividuals. Democrats say noon news conference
the bill would leave many with Sen. Rand Paul of Ken-
people uninsured, shifting tucky and members of the
costs to states and hospi- House Freedom Caucus.
tal systems that act as pro- Caucus members com-
viders of last resort. The bill mand enough votes to
also adds up to big tax cuts take down the bill in the
for the rich, cutting more House, but the group’s
than 20 taxes enacted un- chairman, Rep. Mark
der Obama’s heath law Meadows of North Caro-
with the bulk of the savings lina, struck a conciliatory
going to the wealthiest tone, emphasizing they are
Americans. “This is a tax cut open to negotiation and
for the wealthy with some view the leadership bill as
health insurance provisions a starting point.
tacked alongside of it,” Notes of caution also came
said Senate Minority Lead- from GOP governors, with
er Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. Ohio Gov. John Kasich
Republicans are pushing arguing that phasing out
forward even without of- expanded Medicaid cov-
ficial estimates from the erage without a viable
Congressional Budget Of- alternative is “counterpro-
fice on the cost of the bill ductive” and Gov. Bruce
and how many people Rauner of Illinois’ saying
