The vote is expected next week
The Senate healthcare bill was revealed today. The bill which was written behind closed doors is scheduled to be voted on next week. The expectations are that 0 (zero) Democrats will vote for it. The Senate has 52 Republicans. That means >2 nays and it is defeated.
The bill is said to be similar to the House passed bill but with some key differences:
- The bill would continue the enhanced Medicaid expansion funding from Obamacare until 2021 and then phase it out over three years.
- The Senate bill would send a fixed amount of money to states each year based on enrollment in Medicaid, or as a lump sum block grant. However, it would shrink the program even more over time by pegging the annual growth rate of the funds to standard inflation, vs the more generous medical inflation, starting in 2025.
- The Senate bill would also largely maintain Obamacare's premium subsidies structure, but tighten the eligibility criteria starting in 2020, but only those earning up to 350% of the poverty level would qualify (vs 400% threshold in Obamacare).
- The Senate also backs away from the House concessions that would have allowed states to opt out of several protections for those with pre-existing conditions, but insurers would not be allowed to charge higher premiums to those with pre-existing conditions.
The Congressional Budget Office will make an assessment of the bill including how much the bill would cost and how many people would be covered.
The House bill assessment said 23 million fewer people would be insured in 2026 vs Obamacare.
