Pending Legislation
Vote scheduled for before the end of September 2017
Policy Summary
As Republican’s time to pass a healthcare bill under reconciliation runs out, Senators are rushing to gain support for one last repeal and replace bill. Reconciliation, the process that allows a bill to pass the House and Senate with only a majority, expires at the end of the September. Republicans, led by Sen. Bill Cassidy from Louisiana and Sen. Lindsey Graham from South Carolina, are working to win over a Senate majority before the impending deadline. According to Sen. Cassidy, they have 48 or 49 Republican votes right now, but they still need a couple more to pass the bill. As we have seen in the past, those last couple votes are the hardest to win over. Keep an eye out for the usual suspects in this coming week, such as Sen. John McCain, who thinks the bill needs more bipartisan support, and Sen. Rand Paul, who thinks the bill does not go far enough to repeal Obamacare. LEARN MORE
Analysis
The Cassidy-Graham bill would substantially cut federal funding for health coverage. The bill would replace the ACA Medicaid expansion program with inadequate block grants in 2020. Medicaid spending would survive through these block grant for the next decade and then would expire completely, cutting federal health care funding by $299 billion in 2027 alone. The bill would also cap and cut Medicaid per-beneficiary funding starting in 2020, which means that the federal government would cap Medicaid funding on a per-beneficiary basis, regardless of the state’s actual costs. Right now, the federal government pays a fixed percentage of each state’s Medicaid costs. A CBO report is in the works and will likely come out soon to provide more details about the effects of this new bill. LEARN MORE
Engagement Resources
- Sen. Bernie Sanders recently proposed a single-payer bill that would provide Medicare for all Americans regardless of their income.
- As always, contact your state’s elected officials and voice your concerns or support.
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.
