Republicans are embracing a healthcare bill that fails to fulfill their own promises
After a humiliating rollout of a tragically flawed healthcare bill, Republicans are understandingly panicking about how to sell something the American people don’t want. This sense of panic has led House Republicans and the Trump Administration to make bigger and bolder promises. This was on full display today when Secretary Price promised that “nobody will be worse off financially” as a result of their bill.
This guarantee is blatantly false, and it effectively sets the stage for political backlash to House Republicans since they are the ones who own this bill.
“House Republicans and the Trump Administration continue to make impossible promises about their reckless healthcare bill, and are either intentionally misleading the American people or reading the wrong legislation,” said DCCC Spokesman Tyler Law. “Secretary Price has now promised that ‘nobody will be worse off financially’ despite the fact that the Republican plan will force working families and seniors to pay more for less coverage, in order to cut taxes for millionaires and health insurance CEO’s. Price’s dishonest comments further ensure that there will be political backlash to vulnerable House Republicans at the ballot box.”
Here’s a sampling of some of the bold promises that House Republican Leadership and vulnerable Members will be held accountable for keeping:
- House Republican Leadership: “no one who has coverage because of Obamacare today will lose that coverage”
- Jeff Denham (CA-10): “Congress is not going to repeal the ACA without a plan” and replacement “is not something that will be done in haste – and you will know what’s in it before we pass it.”
- David Valadao (CA-21): “Congress must provide robust support for our social safety-net programs, like Medicaid” and “I don’t want to pull the rug out from anyone”.
- Brian Mast (FL-18): “…this is something that you’re going to see hashed out, you know, over the coming months on the floors of Congress” and “Now you’re going to get to see this done in the light of day. Everybody’s going to get to have input from both sides.”
- Carlos Curbelo (FL-26): “no one is going to be kicked off of any plan by anything we do”.
- Peter Roskam (IL-06): any replacement must “bring down costs”.
- Kevin Yoder (KS-03): replacement should be down with “bipartisan support”.
- Mike Bishop (MI-08): fixing the ACA required “support from both parties”.
- David Trott (MI-11): “Your health coverage should stick with you, regardless of where you work or who pays for it.”
- Jason Lewis (MN-02): healthcare plans should be “portable when a person moves from one job to another state”.
- Erik Paulsen (MN-03): “no one is going to be cut off from the insurance that they have.”
- Don Bacon (NE-02): “everybody should have access to affordable care”.
- Frank LoBiondo (NJ-02): promised that replacement will not result in “people getting kicked to the curb” aka lose their healthcare.
- Leonard Lance (NJ-07): GOP plan will “undoubtedly” include “prohibiting lifetime limits on insurance coverage”.
- John Faso (NY-19): “We will hold people harmless” and must “protect” Medicaid.
- Chris Collins (NY-27): “no one is going to lose coverage” for two years.
- Ryan Costello (PA-06): any plan must focus on “protecting those who currently have coverage”.
- Pat Meehan (PA-07): “we are not talking about pulling the rug out from anyone” while also assuring that “everyone who has insurance now would have access to some type of insurance”.
- Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-08): any replacement must be “bipartisan” and ensure “continuity of coverage”.
- Will Hurd (TX-23): “There’s no interest in just repealing and having people without insurance. That’s been very clear.”
- Scott Taylor (VA-02): replacement plan should include “maternity coverage”.