GOP plans urgent health care push before August recess and Ted Cruz may be the key

[riversedge]

Source: chicago Tribune






The White House and Senate Republican leaders are planning a final, urgent blitz to pressure reluctant GOP senators to pass an overhaul of the Affordable Care Act before their month-long August recess.

Aware that the next 14 days probably represent their last chance to salvage their flagging endeavor, President Donald Trump, Vice President Mike Pence and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., intend to single out individual senators and escalate a broad defense of the evolving proposal, according to Republicans familiar with their plans.

When Trump returns from Europe, he plans to counter the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office's analysis of the legislation - which shows that 22 million fewer people would have insurance coverage by 2026 than under the current law - with figures and analyses from conservative groups and Republicans that show more benefits and less disruption, should the bill pass, according to a White House official familiar with the strategy.
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McConnell is expected to place greater responsibility on Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, to pitch his controversial amendment that would allow insurers to offer plans that don't meet ACA requirements - provided they also offer some that do. McConnell could ask Cruz to speak to Republican senators as soon as Tuesday, according to a person familiar with his strategy. Cruz has often talked about his amendment in the senators' regular Tuesday lunches, but the burden of building support for the bill could be left to the firebrand conservative.
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Read more: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-gop-senate-health-care-plan-20170707-story.html

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Those plans that Cruz are pushing are "junk insurance' plans. Obama got rid of them and now Repugs are bringing them back. damn!



http://www.trbimg.com/img-5952fcea/turbine/ct-ted-cruz-20170627/750/750x422
Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas chats with Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, right, before Republican senators met with President Donald Trump to discuss the healthcare bill at the White House on June 27, 2017. (Nicholas Kamm / Getty-AFP)
Kelsey Snell, Sean Sullivan and Robert CostaWashington Post

[murielm99]

1. A lot can happen between now and August.

I am glad that they chose the odious Cruz to push the plan. I understand that most of his Senate colleagues despise him.

[beachbum bob]

2. ted cruz??? Really, theone senator despised by most all others?

as if thats gonna sway any one

[Submariner]

3. Cruz? Why is a Cuban-Canadian immigrant screwing with our health care system

Trumpsta tool.

[BumRushDaShow]

4. As the loud-mouthed teabagger extraordinaire in the Senate

they figure that whatever he recommends would be acceptable to the rest of the teabaggers in the Senate and potentially the House as well (because whatever they put together in the Senate would also have to be passed in the House).

However the more to the right they go, the more moderates they will eventually lose in the House if it gets back over there. The House version barely passed when one of the moderate caucus co-chairs burned bridges with that caucus and pushed a few moderates to cave and vote for it, leaving 20-some others (including the other co-chair) to join with Democrats to vote against it... Afterwards, that co-chair abruptly resigned his chair seat. And since his version was DOA in the Senate, his "sacrifice" was essentially all for naught.

[oberliner]

5. They will pass something

That's my prediction.

[Demsrule86]

10. I don't think they will.

I am not sure that McConnell wants to do so...Cruze is despised.

[riversedge]

6. Do not let up folks. Keep calling your Senators--of all stripes!

[dalton99a]

8. Definitely.

[Blue Idaho]

7. I still don't see how this helps the GOP long term.

Selling people junk insurance that won't cover diddly squat only works until someone needs medical attention. What then? How does that help the GOP get the votes and the admiration of 65% of America that is growing sour on their "brand."

[TexasBushwhacker]

9. Of course, if insurance companies can offer junk plans

the premiums on good plans will skyrocket.