Heritage Foundation President Jim DeMint on Thursday predicted the Senate will have enough votes to pass the American Health Care Act.
“It won’t have any Democrat votes. It will go through with 51 Republicans,” the conservative think tank leader told Fox News host Bill O’Reilly on Wednesday evening.
The former South Carolina senator admitted the first version of the Obamacare replacement bill does not include ways to decrease health care costs or increase consumers’ role in the process.
However, DeMint recommended two reforms to the bill, whether by House or Senate committees.
“To improve the bill, they need to freeze enrollment of Medicaid expansion. It doesn’t make any sense to continue and to enroll people in Medicaid who are healthy,” DeMint said.
“The other thing they need to do is put consumers more in charge, Bill. They create a new federal tax credit, but it goes straight to the insurance companies. This bill should have been expanded health savings account concept where this tax credit can go into it.”
Medicaid, employers, Medicare and consumers should all be able to deposit money into their health savings accounts, according to DeMint.
The House GOP’s bill has been met with criticism from the House Freedom Caucus and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., since introducing the health care bill, which makes Heritage’s concerns about the legislation somewhat normal.
