WASHINGTON (AP) -- Relieved Republicans have pushed their prized health care bill through the House. The mostly party-line 217-213 vote advances a bill that addresses their longtime pledge to erase the 2010 Obama health care law.
Thursday's vote sends the measure to the Senate. Many senators consider the House bill too harsh and it's expected to undergo substantial changes.
The House measure collapsed in March due to opposition by conservative and moderate GOP lawmakers. House leaders abandoned another attempt to pass the bill last week after support was lacking.
Leaders finally rounded up enough support after adding money aimed at helping seriously ill patients afford their medical costs.
Democrats said the bill would kick millions off coverage. They predicted Republicans would pay the price in next year's elections.
Three Republicans in our area voted for the measure and three Democrats voted against it.
Rep. Bill Posey (R) (FL-8) released the following statement:
“For many years health insurance costs have been skyrocketing and today we have taken a big step toward addressing this problem while keeping intact core protections for those Americans with pre-existing health conditions, ensuring sick people do not lose their coverage, and allowing young people to stay on parents’ policies,” said Congressman Posey. “For many Americans, Obamacare has resulted in more expensive health insurance plans with fewer options. This cannot continue and it’s unfair to expect workers and families to pay thousands a month in premiums with no other choices and no relief in sight.
“The American Health Care Act will mean that people will no longer be forced to purchase insurance, but they will have greater, more affordable choices. The bill repeals most of Obamacare’s tax increases, creates a new refundable tax credit for health insurance purchases, and allows states to offer more health insurance choices. It also applies to Members of Congress and Congressional staff – there will be no exemptions for Congress.
“While it’s not perfect, the American Health Care Act reverses the downward spiral of Obamacare.”
U.S. Congressman Brian Mast (R) (FL-18) released the following statement:
“The Affordable Care Act has failed its promises to lower costs, to let people keep their doctor and to let people keep their plans. As a result, Martin and St. Lucie counties have only one insurer on the individual exchange. Premiums and deductibles have become beyond unaffordable for people throughout our community, and I’ve heard from countless families just like Debbie’s from Jensen Beach who saw their premiums double and their deductible balloon to more than $12,000 under the Affordable Care Act.
“The American Health Care Act delivers relief for families by ensuring that you get to choose your coverage and the federal government can’t tax you based on what you think is best for your family. The bill returns control of health care from Washington back to you and restores access to quality, affordable options that are tailored to your individual needs. The bill does all this while also increasing Medicaid funding for Florida by $400 to $500 million dollars that will go to help the most at-risk people in our community get potentially life-saving coverage and treatment.
“Like millions of Americans, I have a pre-existing condition. As a result of my time in the military, I lost both of my legs and sustained other internal injuries that continue to impact my health care to this day. I care about this issue. I believe it is my responsibility to be the staunchest advocate for people out there that also have pre-existing conditions, and I will be. This bill mandates that people cannot be denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions and allocates almost $140 billion in additional funding that will subsidize coverage for people with pre-existing conditions to ensure their costs are low, while driving down costs for everybody else as well. Those claiming otherwise are the same people who said ‘if you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor’ and they’re putting partisan politics ahead of the people in our community.”
Congressman Tom Rooney (R) (FL 17) issued the following statement:
“I gave my word to my constituents who lost their coverage under Obamacare and were forced to work several part time jobs to pay for plans on the exchanges they couldn’t afford. I gave my word to my constituents who for the first time were able to obtain coverage, regardless of their health status. Under the status quo Obamacare will continue to fail, premiums will increase by 17% in Florida this year and my constituents living in these six counties – Desoto, Glades, Hardee, Highlands, Lee, and Okeechobee – will still be stuck with only one health insurance provider to choose from. The American Health Care Act is not perfect, but passing this bill out of the House is the critical first step in the process of reforming our broken health care system and making healthcare for all Americans better. The AHCA will now go to the Senate, where my colleagues will have the opportunity to make changes to and improve the bill.”
“As President Trump has said time and time again, this bill maintains the current protections for individuals with pre-existing conditions. I promised my constituents at my town hall in Englewood that I would only support a bill that keeps these important protections for people with pre-existing conditions. This bill provides states with funding to help cover the costs of enrollees with expensive medical conditions in the individual market. And let me be clear, because this is important, insurers in states that set up their own systems are still expressly prohibited from denying coverage for individuals with pre-existing conditions. This bill may allow the system to operate differently than the top-down, federal government approach of Obamacare, but I believe it will create a market that offers people of all ages and incomes the opportunity to choose from a diverse array of specialized, affordable health care options that work best for their family.”
Congressman Ted Deutch (D) (FL-22) issued this statement.
"There is a lot that Congress could work on to improve healthcare in America. Instead, Republicans forced a partisan bill through the House that will rip away healthcare from 24 million people. This bill will eliminate protections for people with preexisting conditions. From cancer to pregnancy and diabetes to heart disease, half the population will face price gouging based on their health history. The American people want better healthcare; they don’t want higher costs, less coverage, and cuts that will jeopardize Medicare and Medicaid.
"TrumpCare will allow insurance companies to discriminate against women, charge seniors five times more than younger consumers, hinder our fight against drug overdoses and addiction, and end requirements for essential health benefits like emergency room and mental health care in all health plans. With this vote, Republicans have chosen to put healthcare out of reach for millions.
"But beyond the substance, the process has been entirely undemocratic. Republicans locked the American people out of the process, drafting this proposal behind closed doors, holding hearings in the middle of the night, and refusing to wait for an updated report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office so that we know even more about the terrible damage this bill will do.
"I hope the American people are watching and will hold Congress accountable. I voted no, and I will continue to fight for expanded coverage and reduced costs so that all Americans have the right to access the care they need."
Congresswoman Lois Frankel (D) (FL-21) issued the following statement:
“Shame on the Republicans for resurrecting this monstrosity of a health care bill. It guts the crown jewel of the Affordable Care Act: protection for the millions of Americans with a pre-existing condition. These cancer survivors, children with autism, diabetics, and pregnant women—among many others—will pay higher costs or worse, won’t get covered at all.
This bill takes health care away from more than 24 million hard-working Americans while imposing a crushing Age Tax, forcing older Americans to pay premiums five times higher than what others pay. To add insult to injury, it shortens the lifespan of the Medicare Trust Fund, raiding the funds seniors depend on to retire in dignity.
“House Democrats unanimously stood strong against passage. We cannot go back to the days when people got sicker and some died because they could not afford health care treatment. I call on my Senate colleagues to stop this horrendous bill in its tracks.”
CongressmanAlcee Hastings (D) (FL 20) issued this statement:
“The short-sighted bill rammed through today by House Republicans will spell disaster if it’s signed into law. Trumpcare should have been a nonstarter. It will strip healthcare from 24 million Americans, eviscerate essential benefits, and target women and seniors with unfair costs. Anyone who voted for this bill should be ashamed of themselves.
“Passing the buck to the Senate is as hypocritical as it is cowardly. The CBO will surely score this measure before it is taken up by the Senate, and every Republican who voted for Trumpcare will have to defend voting for a measure that cuts care, steals billions from Medicare, and gives handouts to insurance companies and the pharmaceutical industry.
“President Donald John Trump and his Republican lackeys have accomplished nothing today. Eventually Republicans will have to get serious about improving healthcare for all Americans and not just the privileged few.”
