The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities takes a deep look into the Republican talking points’ big lie about how Zombie Trumpcare would give states more flexibility. Two states in particular would be punished for the health care decisions they've made law: New York and California. But since they're blue states, Republicans apparently don't count them.
Nearly a million people in these states would be unable to keep the tax credits for their current plans, and hundreds of thousands more could be forced to choose between paying full price to enroll in the plan that best meets their needs or claiming tax credits for a plan with a less appropriate network, cost sharing, or other features.
That’s because the Republican plan prohibits individuals from using their subsidies to pay for plans that cover abortions (unless such coverage is limited to abortions following rape or incest, or abortions that are necessary to save the woman’s life). California and New York both require insurance plans to include abortion coverage. […]
This restriction would mean that people eligible for tax credits wouldn’t be able to use them for most plans currently offered in New York and California’s insurance markets. In New York, the restriction could eliminate a dozen issuers from subsidy eligibility, to the benefit of one insurer in the state that denies abortion coverage (because it qualifies for a religious exemption from the abortion-coverage requirement).
Rep. Dan Donovan, a Republican from New York, talked about this problem with Chris Hayes last week, citing it as one of his key concerns with the bill. Hayes asked, rhetorically, "How is any Republican in California and New York going to vote for this thing?" That remains a really good question.
If you have a Republican representative and live in California or New York, you should call them up and ask them just that.
House Republicans are hell-bent on ripping away our health insurance. Call your member of Congress at 202-224-3121, and demand they vote NO on a renewed Trumpcare that is worse than the one before. Remind them they work for you.