...................................................................................................................................................................
Texan Pete Sessions, realizing GOP can’t repeal Obamacare, offers alternative
By Katie Leslie, May 23, 2016
After years of failed GOP efforts to repeal Obamacare, a top Texas Republican lawmaker is taking a new tack on health care: proposing an alternative.
Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Dallas, and Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., are behind a bill that they say would offer Americans a choice. Taking a page from the Donald Trump political playbook, they’ve given it a name oozing with confidence — “The World’s Greatest Healthcare Plan Act of 2016.”
The bill generally seeks to help those who cannot afford high-deductible insurance plans and would modify parts of the Affordable Care Act, such as by eliminating individual and employer health insurance mandates.
“There should be a healthy debate about an option available for the American people who choose not to go to Obamacare, who do not qualify for Obamacare, but who want and need to have health care that is sustainable and available for their families,” Sessions, chairman of the House Rules Committee, said Monday at a news conference.
“We still have too darn many people that are uninsured,” he continued.
The “world’s greatest” plan, introduced in Congress late last week, would create a tax benefit of up to $2,500 per adult and $1,500 per dependent child. That credit can be transferred to a Roth health savings account and be used to purchase health insurance or pay for health care services.
The tax credit would also be available to people who don’t have employer-provided health insurance. Americans who wish to keep current coverage under the Affordable Care Act can do so, the lawmakers stressed.
Republicans have long sought to repeal Obamacare, but previous efforts were vetoed by President Barack Obama.
Sessions and Cassidy say their bill provides an alternative in the meantime, though it’s unlikely to advance under the remainder of Obama’s term. Still, the men are hoping it will catch the attention of presidential candidates on both sides of the aisle as they shape their legislative platforms.
“I’m sure Mrs. Clinton will want to call us” to learn more, Sessions quipped. The Texan recently endorsed Trump, now the GOP’s presumptive nominee.
Cassidy said he’s reached out to people affiliated with the Trump campaign, but neither lawmaker has spoken with the New York businessman.
“It is our hope that Mr. Trump will see this as the world’s greatest health care plan, and not only understand what it does, but be able to defend it as a free-market alternative that’s sustainable for America’s families,” Sessions said.
The legislation comes as Republican House members, at the behest of Speaker Paul Ryan, develop policy blueprints on issues including taxes, health care, national security and poverty. Those proposals are expected to be released before the Republican convention in July.
Sessions and Cassidy say their bill isn’t in conflict with those efforts. They hope to influence those drafts.
“It’s one thing to speak in principles; it’s another to have legislative language,” Cassidy said, adding that the measure he and Sessions are pitching “advances the ball for everybody.”
Sessions said he’s spoken with Senate Majority Whip John Cornyn about the bill, but not Sen. Ted Cruz, who recently returned to Washington after abandoning his bid for the White House. Sessions noted he’s primarily focused on ginning up support in the House.
The bill now heads to committee for consideration.
...................................................................................................................................................................
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment