It’s “red alert” time on healthcare, according to one observer, amid reports that some congressional Republicans think they have a deal—and it’s even worse than the last one (which was itself crueler than its predecessor).
The Huffington Post reported Wednesday:
The plan “effectively allows states to eliminate the [Affordable Care Act, or ACA]’s guarantee of access to insurance at a reasonable price for people with pre-existing conditions, in the interest of lowering premiums for people who are healthy,” Larry Levitt, senior vice president at the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, told the publication upon seeing a description of the proposal. “It seems to tilt heavily towards what the Freedom Caucus has been looking for.”
HuffPo reporters Matt Fuller and Jonathan Cohn note that such provisions could alienate moderate Republicans; the caucus will reportedly discuss the amendment (Politico has a copy here) on a conference call this Saturday.
But there’s political pressure coming from another direction, too, which could influence these talks.
CNN reported Wednesday that some members of the Trump administration are hoping for a win on healthcare before the president reaches his 100-day milestone.
Of the Meadows-MacArthur deal, a senior GOP aide told CNN: “Longshot at best. But the White House clearly wants it.”
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