Today The House voted to replace Obamacare with the revised American Healthcare Act.
With a 217-213 vote, Republicans obtained just enough support to push the legislation through the House, sending it to the Senate for consideration. No Democrats voted for the bill.
The bill was previously rejected but since then two amendments have been made:
- The MacArthur amendment: Introduced by centrist Rep. Tom MacArthur, the amendment would allow states to apply for waivers from the federal government to rescind some Obamacare regulations if they can prove it would reduce the costs for residents
- The Upton amendment: Introduced by Rep. Fred Upton, the amendment would allocate an additional $8 billion over five years to states that receive waivers for additional funding for their programs.
American Health Care Act, aims to repeal most Obamacare taxes, including a penalty for not buying health insurance. It would slash funding for Medicaid, the program that provides insurance for the poor, and roll back much of Medicaid's expansion.
Trump had this to say about the passage:
"What a great group of people, and they're not even doing it for the party, they're doing it for the country," Mr. Trump said. "Yes, premiums will be coming down, deductibles will be coming down."