GOP leaders try to tamp down rebellion on Obamacare plan
Republicans in Congress are still working on their plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. In his speech Tuesday, President Trump spelled out some details, including a new series of tax credits to help Americans buy insurance.
Republican leaders have begun trying to sell this plan to their GOP members, which is a challenging task because some key numbers and details are still missing. It’s being hashed out behind closed doors as GOP leaders try to tamp down a rebellion from their own right flank, reports CBS News congressional correspondent Nancy Cordes.
Senators who were briefed on the new health care plan Wednesday night were instructed not to say much about what’s in it.
“The details will matter, but it’s in many ways a promising start,” Sen. Marco Rubio said.
Here’s what we do know:
A draft of the plan that leaked last week replaces Obamacare’s low-income tax credits and subsidies with more modest credits that go to everyone.
An analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation determined that a 40-year-old making $20,000 a year would see his or her tax credit drop from an average of $4,100 under Obamacare to $3,000 under the GOP plan.
“Lower income people and people who are older would get less help, whereas younger people and wealthier people would be better off,” said Larry Levitt, Kaiser Family Foundation’s senior vice president for special initiatives.
Like Obamacare, the Republican plan would make the tax credits “refundable,” meaning low income Americans get the money even if they pay little or no taxes.
But some on the right say that’s a handout and they’re threatening to vote no.
“I think the notion refundable is going to prove to be a bridge too far for a lot of conservatives because it entails fundamentally a new entitlement,” South Carolina Rep. Mark Sanford said.
In those closed door meetings, GOP leaders are arguing that any other approach would result in millions of people losing the ability to afford insurance and Republicans getting the blame.
“It’s not going to be perfect, but this is our one chance to keep our promise to our supporters to whom we made the promise that we’d repeal and replace Obamacare,” Texas Sen. John Cornyn said.
Another big sticking point: what to do about Obamacare’s huge expansion of Medicaid, which now covers 11 million more people than it did before. Some Republicans say that’s a vital safety net that needs to be retained. Others say it’s too expensive and needs to be scaled back. If they can’t reach consensus, this bill is going to be in trouble.