Six Reasons to Oppose the Senate Health Care Bill

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The American Health Care Act of 2017 is a bill to start repealing the Affordable Care Act that Barack Obama has set into place in 2010. The main goal of this bill is to cut back on federal budget spending and cut down on taxes. There is a lot going on here so we’ll try to break it into six important facts.

1. It is considered a “budget reconciliation bill” and therefore it cannot be filibustered. This means that it can pass with a majority ruling of 51 votes instead of 60. This is a much easier way for the AHCA to be passed.
2. You are not required to have insurance anymore. You wouldn’t receive tax penalties for not having health coverage. But you also might lose the ability to get insurance through the workplace as they wouldn’t be mandated to provide affordable insurance anymore.
3. It seems geared towards goals of cutting down on taxes for the rich and the medical industry. It is projected that federal spending could be cut down over $100 billion but tens of millions would lose coverage over that time as well.
4. If you have a pre-existing condition, you are guaranteed coverage but might have to pay higher premium’s depending on that condition.
5. Younger people actually would have to pay less and are generally helped by this bill. They could save up to $400-$7000 on their insurance and would be offered more generous subsidies. On the other hand, people who need health insurance the most, like seniors, could see their rates increase 22% and they are offered much less generous subsidies.
6. There was also a new cap proposed for eligible middle class families. If they make more than 350% over the poverty line (compared to 400% under Obamacare) they wouldn’t qualify for premium subsidies.