A GOP-backed health care reform bill passed House lawmakers by the slim margin of 217 to 213 on Thursday. President Donald Trump praised the American Health Care Act after its house passage, calling it a “repeal and a replace of Obamacare,” as it makes it way to the Senate floor.
The Senate agreed to open debate on repealing and replacing Obamacare on Tuesday, but it’s still unclear what senators will be voting on in the end, NBC News reported.
One new option emerged on Tuesday: A so-called skinny repeal bill that would eliminate the Affordable Care Act's penalties for individuals who go without insurance and companies that don’t offer it. It would also remove a tax on medical-device manufacturers.
By voting on a partial repeal bill, Republicans would avoid heated debates within their party over cuts to Medicaid, subsidies for private insurance, and which Obamacare regulations to change or eliminate.
But that doesn’t mean skinny repeal would be a minor change.
Scrapping the mandate could create major policy headaches, however, including millions more uninsured, a spike in premiums, and a potential exodus of insurers from the market. If these changes came to pass, they would violate Republican promises to lower premiums and increase competition.
