In a marathon markup of the bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act in the House Rules Committee on Wednesday, Republicans argued that a package of amendments unveiled Monday night would make the legislation more “patient-centered” by giving Americans more “choices” and “freedom” in the health care market.
But among the provisions increasing tax credits for older Americans and allowing states to impose work requirements on their Medicaid recipients, lawmakers tucked in a provision that limits the freedom and choices available for how people can spend the federal dollars meted out under the Republican plan.
Under the original GOP repeal bill, which replaces Obamacare’s subsidies with less-generous tax credits, people who didn’t use the full amount of their tax credit could have the balance rolled over into a Health Savings Account (HSA). They could then use that money to pay doctors’ office copays, buy medication, etc.
“We make sure they can use the HSA for what they need,” bill author and Ways and Means Committee Chair Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX).
But after conservative groups raised concerns that women could use some of this money to pay for an abortion, lawmakers inserted an amendment that entirely scrapped the possibility of rolling over those dollars. If the Rules Committee approves the amendment, low-income people who don’t use all of their tax credit dollars would lose the remainder.
The new provision comes on top of a host of abortion restrictions in the original bill. The American Health Care Act, among other provisions, bans women from using government tax credits to purchase any private insurance plan that covers abortion, discourages employers from offering insurance that covers abortion, and cuts more than $200 million dollars from Planned Parenthood over 10 years. The Congressional Budget Office found that those cuts would result in a financial burden on Medicaid due to “several thousand” more unwanted pregnancies among women for whom the organization is the only birth control and family planning provider.
This whole women must purchase an optional rider for coverage of abortion is BS. In 2016 MO passed a statue that says insurance offered in the state can not contain abortion coverage, whether on the federal exchange or state exchange. Here’s the section of the statue: 3. No health insurance exchange established within this state or any health insurance exchange administered by the federal government or its agencies within this state shall offer health insurance contracts, plans, or policies that provide coverage for elective abortions, nor shall any health insurance exchange operating within this state offer coverage for elective abortions through the purchase of an optional rider.
Here’s the link to the full statue: http://www.moga.mo.gov/mostatutes/stathtml/37600008051.html
So let me get this right: they get to put defunding planned parenthood under reconciliation because it increases the deficit?
GOP, “We’re for local control except when we’re not.”
This is currently playing out in Texas in several ways (ban on sanctuary cities the most prominent).
I’ve sent TPM several stories the last couple of weeks which didn’t merit reporting I guess. Here’s a nice one: U.S. judge: ICE said Austin raid was because of ‘sanctuary’ policy. The ICE raids in Austin and San Antonio came right after the first travel ban.