House Republications narrowly passed their Obamacare replacement bill, signifying a major Trump victory over the Democrats who opposed. The bill passed with a 217-213 vote, with all the Democrats voting against it, as they warned that it would be worse for Americans.
The Republican bill, which was approved without full analysis by the Congressional Budget Office of the costs and how many people it would cover, will repeal several important portions of Obamacare. There will be extreme changes to Medicaid, which is a health program for low-income individuals and families. The bill will also cut wealthier individuals a tax break by repealing many of the taxes imposed by the Affordable Care Act, which subsequently lowered the cost of the insurance.
As the bill passed, Democrats began to chant “Hey, Hey, Hey, Goodbye,” alluding to their plan to gain control of the House after next year’s 2018 midterm elections.
Meanwhile, Republicans gathered at the Capitol with “Rocky” theme music playing in the background, just before the vote and their subsequent victory celebration. But, as they sulk in their temporary victory of the House approval, there are still hurdles ahead as the bill heads to the Senate, where it is expected to be axed.
On Thursday, just after the bill passed, Senate Republicans said they would not vote to repeal and replace Obamacare. Instead, they will write their own legislation and will attempt to include portions of the House-passed legislation.
“Any bill that has been posted less than 24 hours, going to be debated three or four hours, not scored? Needs to be viewed with suspicion,” said Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).
“The safest thing to say is there will be a Senate bill, but it will look at what the House has done and see how much of that we can incorporate in a product that works for us in reconciliation,” Sen. Roy Blunt said.
It is unclear when the Senate bill will be introduced and voted on.
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