Democrats ripped the Obamacare overhaul bill proposed by Senate Republicans that appears to be at death’s door after a third Republican senator announced she would oppose the bill.
Shortly after Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, became the third GOP senator to come out publicly against the bill — seemingly enough to kill it — Sen. Mark Warner, D-VA, said it was time to put the bill to the side and get a bipartisan solution
“There’s a reason why this bill is opposed by non-partisan groups from every sector of the health industry, including the American Medical Association, health insurers, hospitals, patients, the American Cancer Society, and the American Heart Association,” Warner said in a statement Monday.
“It is time for the Senate to put this bill aside and recognize that we must work in a bipartisan way to stabilize the health insurance markets and put in place permanent fixes to lower costs and expand health care options for Americans. I stand ready and willing to work with any Senator, Republican or Democrat, who seriously shares that goal.”
The “Graham-Cassidy bill,” authored by Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Bill Cassidy, R-La., would overhaul the Affordable Care Act and remove individual and employer mandates required by former President Obama’s signature healthcare law. Additionally, the money currently being allocated to Obamacare’s exchanges and Medicaid expansion would be given to the states through federal block grants.
A vote on the legislation is expected this week. The Senate has until Sept. 30 to use the reconciliation tool that only requires 51 votes to repeal parts of Obamacare. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., criticized the Graham-Cassidy bill, an effort to overhaul the Affordable Care Act, by saying the measure was “devastating” for women’s health.
“#GrahamCassidy is devastating for women’s health: Ends guarantee that maternity care and contraception are covered,” Feinstein tweeted Monday, in response to the release of a Congressional Budget Office score regarding the bill.
#GrahamCassidy is devastating for women’s health: Ends guarantee that maternity care and contraception are covered.
— Sen Dianne Feinstein (@SenFeinstein) September 25, 2017
The CBO found the millions of people could be out of comprehensive health insurance that covers high-cost medical events over the course of the next decade. The CBO said the number could vary, depending on how states implement the legislation.
Additionally, the bill would allow states to waive the requirement that contraceptives be covered without a co-pay and the requirement that maternity care be covered on individual plans, according to the Atlantic.
