The American Health Care Act, also known as Trumpcare, made its debut last week.
The bill, which if passed would repeal Obamacare, was released on March 6 and includes several changes from the Affordable Care Act.
President Donald Trump took to Twitter to voice his support of the bill calling it “a wonderful new Healthcare Bill.”
The bill was developed with both the White House and Senate Republicans and it is still unclear as to how much the American Health Care Act would cost Americans as well as how many people it would cover.
Some of the provisions from former President Barack Obama’s bill would stay, such as the ban on discriminating against people with pre-existing conditions would also stay in place.
However, the tax on Americans who do not purchase health care will be removed under the new plan.
Young adults would still be allowed to stay on their parent’s healthcare plan until age 26.
The plan would also continue with Medicaid expansion up until January 2020, where it would immediately freeze and states would no longer be able to sign up new enrollees. It would convert Medicaid to a “per capita cap” system, where states would get a lump sum from the federal government for each enrollee.
For those who decide to remain uninsured, the bill would force them to pay a fee if they decide to reenter the program.
The Obamacare replacement would allow tax credits and it would provide a slight increase in benefits for wealthier families.
The bill would also cut off federal funds to Planned Parenthood clinics through Medicaid and other government programs for one year.
Several Republicans came out in support of the bill including Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell.
“Obamacare is a sinking ship, and the legislation introduced today will rescue people from the mistakes of the past,” said Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the House Majority leader.
However, many Democrats disagreed. “Republicans will force tens of millions of families to pay more for worse coverage — and push millions of Americans off of health coverage entirely,” said Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, the Democratic House Minority leader.
Democrats were not the only people who disagreed with the new proposal. Four Republicans, including Ohio Senator Rob Portman, signed a letter disagreeing with the bill. They said that the plan did not adequately protect people in states like Ohio that have expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.
Some have called the bill a step down from Obamacare and have urged for a full repeal.
On Monday, Representative Justin Amash, a Republican of Michigan tweeted out calling the bill “Obamacare 2.0.”
Press Secretary Sean Spicer defended the bill and criticized Obamacare in a press conference.
“Obamacare has proven to be a disaster with fewer options, inferior care and skyrocketing costs that are crushing small business and families across America,” Spicer said. “Today marks an important step toward restoring health care choices and affordability back to the American people.”
Several organizations, such as AARP, Club for Growth and Heritage Action, have all opposed the American Health Care Act.
The bill must make it through both the House and the Senate before it can take effect and there could be many changes to it along the way.
Laina Yost
Managing Editor