#obamacare replacement

Republicans About To Lose Healthcare Vote – AGAIN (VIDEO)

It looks like President Donald Trump and his Republican colleagues in Congress are going to come up short yet again on votes to pass their Obamacare replacement bill. The White House was optimistic that the House could pass a revamped version of the failed healthcare measure this Wednesday, but now it seems like those plans are close to being thrown out the window.

For one thing, the things that…

Senate Republicans Fail To Pass Healthcare Legislation Once Again

WASHINGTON, July 17, 2017 — Two additional Republican senators said they would be voting against the new Senate bill aimed at repealing and replacing Obamacare, causing Congress to fail to reach a deal that would replace the healthcare mess that President Obama put in place. Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) issued tweets saying they do not support bringing the bill to the floor,…

Rift Over Health Care

Although the controversy surrounding Donald Trump Jr.’s campaign meeting has overshadowed much other news, the debacle to implement new health care legislation still looms on. Next week, republican senators plan to vote on a new revision to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. When GOP house representatives presented a new health care bill, the party’s senators…

Most of our attention has gone to the media spectacle of investigating Russian interference, but one striking aspect of Trump and the Republicans affecting us directly is the vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA). By no means was Obamacare the answer to our healthcare crisis, but it did manage to expand Medicaid, allow millions to leave the rank of the uninsured and make healthcare more affordable. Though the law left health insurance companies in control, the ACA was a step in the right direction. Republicans meanwhile want to erase any attempts of reform and lead us back to the era before Obamacare, where insurance companies could deny coverage to those with pre-existing conditions and make sure that millions cannot afford healthcare.

Their plan, the American Health Care Act, would even go as far as cutting Medicaid by $880 billion. Republicans have a “kill the poor” mentality and want to make sure there is no social safety net for those who cannot afford insurance. Their answer to replace Obamacare is a monstrosity giving tax cuts to the wealthy and destroying regulations on insurance companies.

The only answer for healthcare is Medicare for All, but Democrats not only lost control of both houses, but just want to preserve the existing healthcare law. Americans are stuck between the least and worst options as per usual.

Senate Republicans plan on introducing their version of the bill on Thursday and have the goal of voting on the legislation before Congressional recess starts July 4. Of course this is to prevent the public from voicing anger during completion. Senate Republicans don’t plan to have the bill up for debate on the floor. In a fast-track they will simply do a yes or no vote.

Democrats have done their best to keep the bill in the Senate before recess through obstruction. Controversial portions of the bill have been highlighted on the Senate floor to chastise Republicans for attempting an Obamacare repeal.

The current healthcare debate shows the weakness of the Democrats: they are not able to propose their own reforms or Medicare for All because it won’t be approved due to having minorities in both houses. Instead, they are left to defend the piecemeal reform of the Affordable Care Act and pray Republicans don’t make the decision to scrap Barack Obama’s signature achievement. It shows the Democrats truly are a weak party. Even when it comes to impeaching Donald Trump they must depend on Republicans to act. And when we deal with healthcare it is up to Republicans to make the ultimate decision.

The version of the AHCA passed by the House left 23 million Americans uninsured, per the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO). There was a public outcry but Republicans were apathetic to dissenting opinions coming from outside.

We can’t expect Senate Republicans to give us a better deal. Their bill is being crafted in secret for a reason – insurance companies are the main voice at the table. Unlike Obamacare, with Republicans they can be sure to get all they want despite harm to constituents.

A draft of the healthcare bill will be made public once the CBO scores it. The bill then goes to reconciliation, the process preventing a filibuster and making sure Democratic resistance comes from an extremely weak position. Now more than ever we see how we cannot depend on the so-called opposition party to save the day. It is up to the public to call or email their Senators and tell them not to vote for the bill.