House Democrats introduce “enhanced” ObamaCare health bill

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

• House Democrats spearheaded by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi unveiled on Wednesday an “enhanced” ObamaCare law that could serve as an election-year proposal for Democrat aspirants to promote amid the coronavirus pandemic.
• The proposed bill aims to scrap the averaged-quality health care plan premiums at 8.5 percent of income and allow the country’s health secretary to negotiate drug prices with manufacturers.
• Despite having no chance of being approved in the Senate, the health care proposal was included in the growing numbers of election-year bills.

Democratic lawmakers led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi unveiled on Wednesday an ‘enhanced’ Affordable Care Act, also known as the ObamaCare law, providing an election year-proposal to 2020 Democrat candidates amid the coronavirus pandemic.

According to Pelosi, the 154-pager Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act will be rolled for a vote next week but then it would not pass beyond the GOP-dominated Senate.

Aiming to shun a single-payer government health insurance, the proposal introduces to scrap the moderate-quality health care plan premiums at 8.5 percent of income. It also permits the health and human services secretary to haggle prices with drug companies.

Pelosi sought to differentiate the package with the Trump administration’s pending case at the Supreme Court that pursues to overthrow the remainder of ObamaCare law.

“Tomorrow the Supreme Court will hear the brief from the Trump administration as to taking down the Affordable Care Act, right in the heart of the time of the pandemic. It was wrong any time. Now it’s beyond stupid, beyond stupid,” the house speaker said.

The proposal for Republicans to have their own election-year health care bill, which President Donald Trump said last year, is still pending. 

 Generally, the health care policy is a burden for the GOP, but the president encouraged the candidates to rally on reviving ObamaCare’s ban on insurance companies’ restricting people with pre-existing conditions. That ban could be undone in the Supreme Court.

“We’re trying to kill it entirely, and then we will put it back,” Trump said during a rally last February. “You’ll have great health care and pre-existing conditions will be totally protected.” 

On his part, Trump has ordered to minimize health care costs, which include allowing importation of drugs from Canada, and requiring insurance companies and hospitals to declare the cost of services in public which was sustained by a federal judge this week.

Despite having no chance of Senate approval, the Democrat health care proposal was included in the growing numbers of election-year bills.

Source: New York Post