The House of Representatives announced that they will vote on Thursday on the Republican Obamacare repeal and replacement bill. The votes are expected to be close, but it’s unlikely that House Speaker Paul Ryan would allow the bill to go to the floor if he didn’t have the votes.
The bill is similar to the Repeal and Replace bill that died a spectacular death in March, with a few concessions to placate the far right Freedom Caucus, like opening a lot of room for states to allow companies to deny people insurance for pre-existing conditions (despite what Trump has told the press).
If the bill passes the House, it will go on to the Senate where the entire health care debate will be an entirely different animal. There, the Republicans are hoping to pass the bill through reconciliation so that they can pass it without any Democratic buy in.
It’s a hugely complicated process, and if – and it’s a big “if” – the healthcare bill is able to get through the Senate, it will likely change drastically from the original bill proposed by the House.
It’s hard to imagine what a piece of health care legislation that could pass through this Congress would actually look like – but with all the time an energy Republicans will have to put in it (all without even a positive peep form Democrats), rest assured it will be called “Trumpcare” whether Trump likes it or not.
And like the health legislation that bears the name of his successor, we will be hearing a lot about it in the midterms.
The bill is similar to the Repeal and Replace bill that died a spectacular death in March, with a few concessions to placate the far right Freedom Caucus, like opening a lot of room for states to allow companies to deny people insurance for pre-existing conditions (despite what Trump has told the press).
If the bill passes the House, it will go on to the Senate where the entire health care debate will be an entirely different animal. There, the Republicans are hoping to pass the bill through reconciliation so that they can pass it without any Democratic buy in.
It’s a hugely complicated process, and if – and it’s a big “if” – the healthcare bill is able to get through the Senate, it will likely change drastically from the original bill proposed by the House.
It’s hard to imagine what a piece of health care legislation that could pass through this Congress would actually look like – but with all the time an energy Republicans will have to put in it (all without even a positive peep form Democrats), rest assured it will be called “Trumpcare” whether Trump likes it or not.
And like the health legislation that bears the name of his successor, we will be hearing a lot about it in the midterms.