The latest health care cut Republicans are weighing, explained

[Fast Walker 52]

This discussion thread was locked as off-topic by DonViejo (a host of the Latest Breaking News forum).

Source: Vox

Politico’s Josh Dawsey and Jennifer Haberkorn report that the White House is in negotiations with the House Freedom Caucus about getting the caucus's hard-line conservative members to support the American Health Care Act, the Obamacare repeal package put forward by House Speaker Paul Ryan and backed by President Trump.

Key to the deal, they report, are changes to the law that would eliminate the Affordable Care Act’s “essential health benefits,” a list of 10 categories of procedure that all insurance plans offered to individuals or small businesses must cover. The 10 are, in the words of Healthcare.gov:

Outpatient care without a hospital admission, known as ambulatory patient services
Emergency services
Hospitalization
Pregnancy, maternity, and newborn care
Mental health and substance use disorder services, including counseling and psychotherapy
Prescription drugs
Rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices, which help people with injuries and disabilities to recover
Laboratory services
Preventive care, wellness services, and chronic disease management
Pediatric services, including oral and vision care for children

These provisions set a baseline, mandating that all offered plans meet a certain threshold. They can't skimp out and not cover big things like emergency room visits or pregnancy or mental health. Particularly for previously undercovered areas like mental health and addiction services, which plans didn't have to cover before the ACA, this provision was a huge deal.

Read more: http://www.vox.com/2017/3/22/15030214/essential-health-benefits-freedom-caucus-cbo-byrd-rule-reconciliation

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these cuts are NUTS!!! I mean, WHY have insurance if they don't cover emergency services or hospitalization???

[bucolic_frolic]

1. So the AHCA is a Knife and Chemo Policy? AHCA is a Death Panel!

Looking at the list, what else is left? Radiation?

[videohead5]

2. Junk Insurance

The Republicans can claim they gave everyone cheaper insurance that will not cover a butt pimple.

[Fast Walker 52]

3. exactly... this is explicitly what the ACA was trying to get rid of: worthless insurance

[Ford_Prefect]

4. They are trying to arrange the deal so close to the vote so that no one can object prior to it.

No debate of the details in session, no mark up to show who voted in favor of particular features, and no opportunity for GAO, OMB or anyone else to comment on the financial impacts.

[WhiteTara]

5. Their plan name is "I don't care and die quickly."

It pretty much encapsulates their attitude.

[Botany]

6. And they put in these changes in order to appeal to the House Freedom Caucus

So the House Freedom Caucus really means Freedom to die.

[DonViejo]

7. Locking...

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