Hours after Sen. Susan Collins said it was “very difficult for me to envision a scenario where I would end up voting for this bill,” Republican leadership released a new version of the Graham-Cassidy Affordable Care Act repeal bill trying to bribe Collins and other undecided or opposed Republicans.
The Cassidy-Graham legislation would overhaul the ACA by lumping together the current law's spending on insurance subsidies and expanded Medicaid and redistributing it to states in the form of block grants. Alaska would get 3 percent more funding between 2020 and 2026 than under current law, and Maine would get 43 percent more funding during that time period, according to a summary obtained by The Post.
Topher Spiro of the Center for American Progress issued a caution on the numbers being reported, though:
Additionally, Jonathan Cohn reports that protections for pre-existing conditions would be weakened even more than in the previous version of the bill:
Under the newly revised bill, states would have an even easier time junking rules that prohibit insurers from charging higher premiums to people with cancer, diabetes, or other medical conditions. They could also waive existing rules limiting out-of-pocket expenses, or setting minimum levels of coverage.
To do this, state officials wouldn’t even have to apply for a formal waiver. All they would have to do is file a plan explaining their proposal, and why officials believe it would provide “adequate and affordable” coverage for people with prior medical problems.
That should be a giant red flag for any Republican senator who’s unsure of their vote—even if the bill sends extra money to their state as a bribe for their vote. Funding aside (and that’s a big aside), this bill will destroy a lot of lives.
Keep hitting those phone lines. Call your senators at (202) 224-3121 and tell them YOU ARE WATCHING! (After you call, please tell us how it went.)