US House of Representatives pass bill to replace/repeal Obamacare
In a major victory for US President Donald Trump, the House of Representatives has voted to dismantle the pillars of the US Affordable Care Act and make sweeping changes to the nation’s health care system, CNN reported.
The bill now heads to the Senate where it faces daunting challenges because of the same ideological splits between conservative and moderate Republicans that nearly killed it in the House. Trump said he is confident the bill will pass the Senate, calling Obamacare “essentially dead.”
“This is a great plan. I actually think it will get even better. This is a repeal and replace of Obamacare. Make no mistake about it,” Trump said at a celebratory White House appearance with House Republicans. Trump argued the health care process has unified the GOP. “We’ve developed a bond,” he said. “This has really brought the Republican Party together.”
“As far as I’m concerned, your premiums are going to come down,” Trump said The GOP health care bill would eliminate Obamacare taxes on the wealthy, insurers and others, and get rid of the individual mandate imposed by Obamacare, officially known as the Affordable Care Act.
Instead of the Obamacare subsidies that are tied to income and premiums, the GOP plan would provide Americans with refundable tax credits based mainly on age to purchase health insurance.
