Two right-leaning advocacy groups sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell Monday, calling for GOP senators to construct a fiscally conservative Obamacare repeal-and-replacement bill.
Freedom Partners and Americans for Prosperity teamed up to give Republicans in the upper chamber four recommendations: repeal as much of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) as possible using the reconciliation process, halt Medicaid expansion, cut off Obamacare subsidies, and provide block grants to states to provide a safety net for preexisting conditions.
The groups said the House passage of the American Health Care Act (AHCA) May 4 is a positive step in making good on Republicans’ campaign promise to bring down health care costs.
McConnell put together a 13-person working group tasked with rewriting the House’s version of the bill, which is expected to be barely recognizable by the time it gets back to the lower chamber.
“Furthermore, the Senate should avoid creating new regulatory burdens for individuals and families, such as allowing Washington to automatically enroll people into taxpayer-subsidized insurance plans,” the groups wrote. “Enrolling people without their consent is a giveaway to insurers that inflates prices, drives up costs for taxpayers, and keeps Washington at the center of health care.”
The two parties said more needs to be done than was seen in the House bill if they want to lower premiums, advocating for lawmakers to move away from providing ACA tax credits.
“Keeping in place the worst of Obamacare makes it all but impossible to improve our health care system and fundamentally transform it into one that benefits all Americans and puts patients first,” they continued. “Thankfully, these solutions can help begin creating more options at lower prices, while also ensuring access to quality and affordable coverage for vulnerable patients and those most in need of assistance.”
While Senate GOP leadership has not put a timeline on the bill’s competition, Secretary of Health and Human Services Tom Price said he expects to legislation to pass before Congress breaks for August recess.
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