The Senate Republicans’ secret plan to repeal and replace Obamacare isn’t a secret anymore.
A draft version of the legislation making its way around D.C. has landed at the Washington Post, which provided a detailed examination of what the bill offers and how it differs from the American Health Care Act (AHCA), which the House passed early last month.
According to the Post, the Senate’s healthcare bill “largely mirrors” the AHCA. But there are some key differences. Here’s a quick rundown of the standout provisions in the bill, which is expected to come up for a vote as soon as the end of next week. Lawmakers are reportedly still tweaking the legislation, however, so some of the details may change.
- The bill allows states to opt out of some restrictions imposed under Obamacare. It is not clear whether the bill preserves the Obamacare requirement that insurers cover people with preexisting conditions or allows insurers to charge them more for coverage.
- The Senate bill calculates subsidies for the cost of health insurance based on income, like the Affordable Care Act (known as Obamacare). The AHCA used age rather than income to calculate subsidies.
- The threshold for receiving subsidies would be lowered from the current 400 percent above the poverty line to 350 percent.
- The Senate healthcare bill would roll back all taxes imposed under Obamacare, save the “Cadillac tax” on premium insurance plans.
- Like the AHCA, the Senate bill cuts federal Medicaid funding. It does so over a longer period of time than the House bill, but it goes further in its funding reductions. As a result, states may opt to reduce their Medicaid programs, which would heavily impact low-income Americans.
- It cuts all federal funding for Planned Parenthood.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is expected to unveil the bill to lawmakers on Thursday morning. A vote could come as soon as the following Thursday.
Read the Washington Post’s full report here.
