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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell introduced what has been generally dubbed his “skinny repeal” of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act late Thursday, "setting up a cliffhanger vote slated for midnight," The Washington Post reports.
McConnell's bill would repeal the law requiring almost all Americans to have health coverage or pay a tax penalty, "and suspend for eight years the mandate that firms employing 50 or more workers provide insurance," the Post reports.
It would "eliminate funds for preventive health care provided under the 2010 law and prohibit Medicaid beneficiaries from being reimbursed for Planned Parenthood services for one year," the Post reports. "Instead, the bill dictates the federal funding that would have gone to Planned Parenthood would go to community health centers. It would end a 2.3 percent tax on medical device manufacturers for three years."
Perhaps significantly for Kentucky, the bill would give states more flexibility in running Medicaid, the program that covers almost a million and a half Kentuckians, about 470,000 of them under then-Gov. Steve Beshear's 2014 expansion of the program.
After introducing his legislation, McConnell gave this speech:
“The legislation I just laid down is called the Health Care Freedom Act, and it restores freedom to Americans that Obamacare took away. It does so in a number of ways.
“First, the Health Care Freedom Act repeals the core pillars of Obamacare. It eliminates the so-called individual mandate that forces many Americans to buy Obamacare insurance they don’t want, can’t afford, or can’t use — and taxes those who don’t. It also repeals the employer mandate that cuts hours, take-home pay, and job opportunities for workers.
“Second, the Health Care Freedom Act provides significant new flexibility to states. The Health Care Freedom Act gives states just the kind of flexibility they need to implement reforms that provide more options for consumers to buy the health insurance they want. These reforms also help make insurance more affordable and flexible, so it’s something Americans actually want to buy.
“Finally, the Health Care Freedom Act frees Americans from Obamacare in several other ways too. It provides three years of relief from the medical device tax that increases costs, hurts innovation, and has drawn significant criticism from both sides of the aisle. It expands for three years the contribution limits to health-savings accounts so Americans can better manage their health costs and pay down more of their medical expenses, like prescriptions, with pre-tax dollars.
“This legislation will also prioritize funding for women’s health through community health centers instead of large abortion providers and political organizations.
“The American people have suffered under Obamacare for too long. It’s time to end the failed status quo. It’s time to send legislation to the president that will finally move our country beyond the failures of Obamacare. Passing this legislation will allow us to work with our colleagues in the House toward a final bill that can go to the president, repeal Obamacare, and undo its damage. I urge everyone to support it.”
It would "eliminate funds for preventive health care provided under the 2010 law and prohibit Medicaid beneficiaries from being reimbursed for Planned Parenthood services for one year," the Post reports. "Instead, the bill dictates the federal funding that would have gone to Planned Parenthood would go to community health centers. It would end a 2.3 percent tax on medical device manufacturers for three years."
Perhaps significantly for Kentucky, the bill would give states more flexibility in running Medicaid, the program that covers almost a million and a half Kentuckians, about 470,000 of them under then-Gov. Steve Beshear's 2014 expansion of the program.
After introducing his legislation, McConnell gave this speech:
“The legislation I just laid down is called the Health Care Freedom Act, and it restores freedom to Americans that Obamacare took away. It does so in a number of ways.
“First, the Health Care Freedom Act repeals the core pillars of Obamacare. It eliminates the so-called individual mandate that forces many Americans to buy Obamacare insurance they don’t want, can’t afford, or can’t use — and taxes those who don’t. It also repeals the employer mandate that cuts hours, take-home pay, and job opportunities for workers.
“Second, the Health Care Freedom Act provides significant new flexibility to states. The Health Care Freedom Act gives states just the kind of flexibility they need to implement reforms that provide more options for consumers to buy the health insurance they want. These reforms also help make insurance more affordable and flexible, so it’s something Americans actually want to buy.
“Finally, the Health Care Freedom Act frees Americans from Obamacare in several other ways too. It provides three years of relief from the medical device tax that increases costs, hurts innovation, and has drawn significant criticism from both sides of the aisle. It expands for three years the contribution limits to health-savings accounts so Americans can better manage their health costs and pay down more of their medical expenses, like prescriptions, with pre-tax dollars.
“This legislation will also prioritize funding for women’s health through community health centers instead of large abortion providers and political organizations.
“The American people have suffered under Obamacare for too long. It’s time to end the failed status quo. It’s time to send legislation to the president that will finally move our country beyond the failures of Obamacare. Passing this legislation will allow us to work with our colleagues in the House toward a final bill that can go to the president, repeal Obamacare, and undo its damage. I urge everyone to support it.”
from Kentucky Health News http://ift.tt/2u3hAGm - Health News
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