The Senate delayed plans to act before the July 4th holiday recess on their version of the House bill – the “Better Care Reconciliation Act”- due to lack of sufficient support, but Republicans’ efforts to garner more votes continue. The Senate’s plan would closely follow the House, funding tax cuts for wealthy Americans by cutting Medicaid by nearly $800 billion, effectively ending the Medicaid expansion, eliminating premium assistance for individuals with income above 350% of the poverty level, and allowing states to dismantle insurance protections like the essential health benefits and cost sharing rules. See Atul Gawande’s analysis of how the bill threatens the nation’s health. Its impacts would be severe, including on low-income women of color, making it nearly impossible for many women to gain the coverage and care they need.
“…literally, if the House bill was mean, this was doubling down on mean.” – Senator Maria Cantwell regarding the Senate health care discussion draft.
The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) analysis of the Senate plan revealed that it would cause 22 million more people to become uninsured by 2026 including 15 million who would lose Medicaid. Nearly 300,000 could become uninsured in Washington. A longer-term outlook finds that by 2036, the Senate repeal bill will cut Medicaid funds by 35%. This cut would be devastating to the program, transferring enormous fiscal pressure to states already facing budget challenges.
Some moderate Republicans have spoken out against the Senate plan; yet it does not go far enough for conservative Republicans. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and President Trump are working hard to sway Senators to vote for the plan, hoping for action later this month. But their proposal is not fixable – no tweaks are going to be able to make it better for poor and middle-class Americans who will be left without care under this proposal.