While Waiting for the Senate to Pass the AHCA, House Republicans Vote to Make It Even Worse
Last week, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) put the Republican’s toxic health care bill, the AHCA, on fast track in order to bypass hearings and, frankly, any engagement with the public until absolutely necessary.
While waiting for the Senate to move, House Republicans decided to vote to take away people’s health care again and make their own bill even worse.
The bill in question, the Verify First Act (H.R. 2581), would amend both the ACA and the AHCA (which is not law yet) to require that applicants for premium tax credits provide their Social Security Number and that the Social Security Administration and Department of Homeland Security verify the SSN before the person can start receiving tax credits to help afford health insurance. Currently, individuals can use either a Social Security Number or, if they are not eligible for one, an individual taxpayer identification number (ITTN).
The bill is a form of anti-immigrant messaging from Republicans, who claim — with no evidence — that large numbers of undocumented immigrants are taking advantage of the tax credits. (Frankly, there shouldn’t be a problem if they were, given that we all benefit when others can get medical care when necessary — but I digress.) But, as is often the case, the bill would harm documented immigrants as well. Not all individuals have a SSN or can obtain one that can be verified at the time of application, including certain lawfully present immigrants who are domestic violence and human trafficking survivors. And this bill lets them fall through the cracks.
Republicans like to rail against bureaucracy, but they never have a problem increasing bureaucracy when it means that fewer people have access to the government-provided benefits to which they are entitled.
The bill passed 238 to 184. One Republican — Mario Diaz-Balart (FL-25) — voted against it. Seven Democrats voted for it: Henry Cuellar (TX-28), Pete DeFazio (OR-04), Marcy Kaptur (OH-09), Stephen Lynch (MA-08), Tom O’Halleran (AZ-01), Collin Peterson (MN-07), and Kyrsten Sinema (AZ-09).
