The failure of the American Health Care Act
Scheduled Vote Date: March 23, Rescheduled Vote Date: March 24
Policy Summary
Despite the GOP’s efforts to lobby enough votes for the American Health Care Act (AHCA) to pass the House, they were not able to secure the necessary votes before the scheduled vote on Thursday, March 23. The Trump administration opted to postpone the vote until the follow day hoping they could gain some support. Trump claimed that if it did not pass in the House vote, he is “done with health care.” The administration and House GOP released various changes to the original bill in an effort to win more votes. The changes included requiring able-bodied Medicaid recipients to work, participate in job training programs, or do community service, and allow states to shift Medicaid funding to a block grant. However, the GOP was never able to gain the support they needed and pulled the bill from the floor on Friday. LEARN MORE
Analysis
It was not a surprise that the bill lacked support. After the revisions, the Congressional Budget Office analyzed the updated bill and reported that roughly 24 million Americans would lose coverage (the same estimate as the original bill). Also, the federal deficit would be reduced by $150 billion between 2017 and 2026 instead of the $337 billion that was projected from the original version. In other words, the same number of people would be covered but it would cost more than the original bill. As for the American people, 56% disapproved of the GOP bill and 14% thought they would lose their health insurance under the new plan. President Trump’s failure to pass his bill does not mean that Obamacare is safe. The President is keeping his promise to leave health care alone for now and his plan going forward is to “let Obamacare explode.” However, the Trump administration may try to undermine the law or revisit it later on, which leaves the consumers and insurers unsure what to expect in the future. LEARN MORE
Engagement Resources
- What Do I Do About Trump – This website is pretty self-explanatory: it offers people who are upset about Trump’s policies ways to get involved and voice opinions.
- Organization for Action – This progressive organization fights for changes that promote both community and national development and equity. The site currently has the option to sign a petition to protect Obamacare.
This brief was compiled by Ann Furbush. If you have comments or want to add the name of your organization to this brief please contact ann@usresistnews.org.
