A few weeks ago, Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan voiced the House GOP’s plans for a repeal and the replacement plan, which placed a heavy focus on eliminating ACA-mandated taxes. However, concerns surfaced from within the Republican party, urging for changes. On March 15, Vice President Mike Pence held a meeting with the Republican Study Committee (RSC to put the wheels in motion for amending the newly proposed American Health Care Act (AHCA).
This may be one of many amendments, as the bill still has to move through Senate. Further, House Democrats are demanding updated figures from the CBO and JCT following the amendments. Just recently, the Congressional Budget Office announced that while ACA replacement plan will save over $300 billion dollars over a decade, it will result in over 50 million without tax credits that must be deemed “fiscally responsible” for everyone including lower income Americans, as well as changes to the HSAs to allow for the payment of premiums. These can alter the overall cost of passing this bill, as well as the number of uninsured going forward. The waiting game continues.