Pence Just Out-Negotiated Trump, Obamacare THIS CLOSE to Death
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I am hearing from multiple sources today that Mike Pence has negotiated a compromise with the House Freedom Caucus, so repealing Obamacare will go through. I have not read the legislation, but I understand it revolves around something called the MacArthur Amendment. The compromise is being brokered between Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC), chairman of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, and Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-NJ), a co-chairman of the moderate Tuesday Group. If true and the Freedom Caucus is on board, this could be a momentous move and a very good thing. But the last time this was touted by Paul Ryan, it was a massive bust. I guess we’ll see.
I understand it will include limited waivers for the states. This means states have opportunities to bypass certain provisions of the AHCA that would allow them to help drive down premiums. That means lower costs and more choices for all of us. However, there is a bad side to this as well… essential health benefits carry over from Obamacare. This will limit the decrease (and even perpetuate increases) in premiums for the vast majority of Americans per JD Rucker (who I highly respect). Most Republicans, including me, want to see Obamacare gone. But a great deal of what has previously been proposed to replace it is not conservative in the least. In fact, it was simply a rewording of Obamacare itself. I hope that is not the case this time. I for one am still in favor of a full repeal and no replacement. This is something the free market should determine.
From Allen West:
President Trump made many promises during his campaign, and thus far, he’s done a good job of keeping them, though he’s faced many challenges in accomplishing his biggest promise: the repeal and replacement of Obamacare.
The president attempted to pass a bill that made some changes to the health care system in America, but many folks felt it didn’t quite go far enough to completely remove and replace all of the Affordable Care Act, or open up the free market to fix the system.
The Freedom Caucus largely did not support the legislation, causing it to fail spectacularly.
Vice-President Mike Pence may have just brokered some additional support from the group, thanks in large part to an amendment to the bill he just negotiated.
Via The Hill, according to a summary of the amendment obtained by Politico and confirmed to The Hill by MacArthur’s office, states would have the option to apply for waivers to opt out of some of ObamaCare’s core requirements. One of the limited waivers would allow insurers to charge higher premiums for people with pre-existing conditions as long as the state also offered high-risk pool coverage. The measure would also allow states to repeal ObamaCare’s essential health benefits, which define the minimum benefits a plan can offer, including mental healthcare and prescription drugs.
Moderates may be the stumbling block this time as more conservatives sign on. No one is going to get everything they want here, but we can begin the process of fixing healthcare this way. Trump needs to get this through to move on to tax reform. Mike Pence is said to have done a hell of a job on negotiating all this. It is still very much in doubt if this will pass however. I wonder if Trump will now turn on the moderates for blocking it if it fails. If moderates and conservatives cannot negotiate a deal this time, I fear healthcare is dead in the water. We should know more next week.
As John Hawkins says in his new book, ‘101 Things All Young Adults Should Know’, be nice until it’s time to not be nice. This is one of those times for conservatives. Hold the line boys.
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