House Republican
Bill 1275 has another, catchier name.
The "World’s Greatest Healthcare
Plan of 2017" - its
official title - has been introduced by Texas Representative Pete Sessions and begins its long slug through the House and Senate before hitting the President’s desk.
It is just one bill introduced by disgruntled Republicans who are fighting it out to have a new plan that completely repeals Obamacare.
The American Medical Association said the Trump-approved
House GOP Bill, different to the above, would "reverse the coverage gains" of Obamacare, and cause millions of people to lose coverage.
As lawmakers wade through the House GOP Bill, introduced by Donald Trump on Monday, to make revisions over the coming months, they might notice that the Trump administration’s boast that it has taken away the parts of Obamacare that people do not like, for example, being fined if they do not purchase coverage, is inaccurate. The penalty still applies but this time Americans will pay to their insurance provider, not the government.
White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer proudly declared the document dedicated 50 pages to detailing how Obamacare would be repealed. He then wheeled out Tom Price, the new Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, who pointed to the 900-page Affordable Care Act of 2010.
"Notice how thick this is?" he asked reporters, comparing the stack of paper with the Republicans’ new, much slimmer document.
Mr Price also mentioned the phrase "conscience clauses", hinting that the new plan might not cover birth control. No public statement has been made on that issue yet - women had no co-pay access to contraception under Obamacare - but critics have suggested Republicans will use the excuse of the Congressional Budget Office's scoring of the plan - in other words, making sure it is financially viable - to not cover contraception.
Democrats claim the healthcare
replacement plan will not protect the most vulnerable Americans. Senate minority leader Chuck Schumer criticsied the cut to Planned Parenthood funding, which provides millions of people with access to mammograms, cancer screenings and maternity care. He said it also reduced protection for young people, LGBTQ people, people of colour, rural communities and those on low incomes.
"Simply put #Trumpcare is a mess for the American people. We Democrats will fight tooth & nail to put your access to healthcare first," he wrote on social media.
Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill said Mr Trump’s plan is repeating the same mistakes of Obamacare but "on steroids".
"Jamming bill, no cost estimate, no [Democratic] votes," she wrote on Twitter.