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| Paul Ryan showing how the GOP members of the House will offer free breast exams to help alleviate health care costs for women. |
House Republicans have passed their ambitious plan to repeal and replace Obamacare, after several fits and starts, sending the measure to the Senate, where it is expected to be significantly revised.
The bill passed the House in a narrow 217-213 vote. All Democrats opposed the bill.
Democrats warned that the changes will leave Americans worse off.
“Make no mistake, many people will die as a result of this bill,” Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., said.
Republicans, who have been promising to repeal and replace Obamacare for seven years but have struggled to coalesce around a specific legislative proposal, said they planned on keeping their promise to constituents.
“Our constituents did not elect us to do what is easy. They elected us to do what is right,” Rep. Diane Black, R-Tenn., the chairwoman of the House Budget Committee, said on the floor.
And sadly the Republicans still failed to do what's right.
The New York Times laid out this bill's winners and losers.
Winners:
- High income earners: You know, like the Trump family and friends.
- Upper-middle-class people without pre-existing health conditions: Goes without saying.
- Young, middle-class people without pre-existing health conditions: Yep.
- People who wish to go without insurance: Unless of course they get injured or get a catastrophic illness that is.
- People who want less comprehensive health coverage: Same response as above.
- Large employers: Duh!
- Medical device companies, indoor tanning companies and a few other medical industries: Well as long as we are helping those poor indoor tanning companies.
- Poor people
- Older Americans, in most states
- People with pre-existing health conditions, particularly in some states
- State governments
- Hospitals
And that's why the Democrats sang a little song for them after the bill passed:
The American Health Care Act just passed the House by the smallest possible margin, barely getting the 217 votes needed to pass. And as the bill passed, House Democrats began singing and waving goodbye to their Republican counterparts.
“Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye!” they sang as voting finished.
It was a pretty remarkable act of trolling on the House floor, but one that illustrates just how divisive health care is as a political issue. Democrats are absolutely, positively sure that Thursday's vote will doom their more vulnerable Republican colleagues — and maybe then some.
The Democrats know full well that the chances of this bill getting through the Senate are slim and none, and Slim just left the building. (Sorry, that's one of my Dad's jokes.)
Currently this bill is not only disliked by the majority of the American people, but virtually every health care organization on the planet also opposes it.
Which includes, The American Medical Association, American Nurses Association, American College of Physicians, National Nurses United, National, Physicians Alliance, Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, and the American Academy of Pediatrics.
Like the Democrats said, “Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye!”
Source http://ift.tt/2pEC09M
