The ink on Trumpcare 2.0 isn’t even dry yet and it’s already dead in the water, according to new reporting.
With Donald Trump and some GOP members of Congress working to make the bill more appealing to hard-right conservatives, they appear to be losing more votes from moderate Republicans and gaining none from more conservative members of the party.
According to The Hill, last month’s epic Trumpcare failure has scared many Republicans from moving forward on any health care legislation, let alone a plan as bad as the one being considered by the president and his allies in Congress.
Those crafting Trumpcare 2.0 are considering eliminating important provisions that require insurance companies to cover essential health benefits, like emergency services and mental health treatment, and prevent them from jacking up premiums for people with pre-existing conditions.
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This despite Trump’s campaign promise to preserve these protections in any type of Obamacare replacement plan.
More from the report:
But the attempt to move the bill further to the right threatens to erode support among moderate members who were already wary of the first version of the American Health Care Act (AHCA).
“While we haven’t picked up any votes yet, this concept is already showing signs of losing a ton of them,†a senior Republican source said.
Centrist Rep. Leonard Lance (R-N.J.) indicated he is still a “no†on the healthcare bill and warned against allowing sick people to be charged more. He said the provision would effectively result in a return to the days before ObamaCare, when people with pre-existing conditions were routinely denied coverage.Â
Desperate to ram any piece of legislation through Congress to score a political victory, even if it hurts millions of Americans, Republicans are about to fall into the same trap that made their first effort such a disaster.
When you ignore the voices of the American people, there will be major consequences. Instead of doubling down and pursuing an even more disastrous and unpopular health care plan, the GOP should cut their losses and move on.
Not only is the latest version of Trumpcare already doomed to fail, but it’s guaranteed to drag Republicans down with it.
Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.
