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The American Health Care Act (AHCA), otherwise known as Trumpcare, has experienced a few failures in trying to find its way into law. Below is a look at why the bill has struggled and what might be next for it.
The ACHA was originally slated to be voted on by the House of Representatives on March 23, but was pulled from the agenda at the last minute after Republican party leaders concluded it likely would not garner the required 216 votes to pass. And even that was after some changes were made to the bill just days prior in an attempt to sway more voters.
After removing the bill from the House floor, two primary changes were made to the AHCA in an attempt to make it more attractive to some House Republicans. The first amendment allowed states to apply for waivers to be excluded from federal regulations concerning mandatory coverage for a list of essential benefits.
The second amendment called for an additional $8 billion to be distributed over a five-year period to provide additional funding for high-risk pools of people with pre-existing conditions.
After making these amendments, Trumpcare was once again put up for voting before the House on May 4, and it passed with a narrow margin of 217-213.
The victory in the House sent the bill to the Senate, where it would need to also pass before being signed into law by President Trump. But GOP senators have indicated they would instead draft their own health care bill. It is unknown what the new bill may look like, but it may contain parts of both Trumpcare and Obamacare. There is no deadline for the Senate to finalize its version of the bill, and once it has, it must go back to the House for approval.
Twenty Republicans and every Democrat voted against Trumpcare in the House vote. Two reasons cited for their opposition are the projection that it could leave 24 million more Americans without insurance and that it would potentially skyrocket premiums for people with preexisting conditions.
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Sources:
Business Insider: http://www.businessinsider.com
CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/04/politics/ahca-act-vote-breakdown
CNN: http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/13/politics/cbo-report-health-care
Christian Worstell is a licensed insurance agent and a Senior Staff Writer for MedicareSupplement.com. He is passionate about helping people navigate the complexities of Medicare and understand their coverage options.
His work has been featured in outlets such as Vox, MSN, and The Washington Post, and he is a frequent contributor to health care and finance blogs.
Christian is a graduate of Shippensburg University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. He currently lives in Raleigh, NC.
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