A month ago, I wrote an article outlining President Trump’s 7 Point Healthcare Plan. This month, the GOP released their healthcare plan, in which we do not see much mention of Trump’s 7 points.
The GOP is using a complex method called budget reconciliation to repeal and replace Obamacare. In short, this method affords a voting advantage to the majority party in the Senate, but any provisions offered for passage through this process must relate to a budgetary matter. Parts of Obamacare were passed using budget reconciliation. The rest of the repeal and replace is supposed to come in two additional phases, which will address some of Trumps points, but will require additional legislation.
We recently heard President Trump announce that Healthcare is really complicated, and it seems, at least as this juncture, that the GOP is steering the ship toward replacement. The provisions released so far are some of the same ideas we have heard from the GOP in the past. They represent the Republican version of who and how much will be covered by the government. Those of us waiting for details from the GOP and President Trump regarding their strategy to contain heath care costs are in limbo until we see phase two or maybe phase three. Of course, that assumes that the Republicans will enact phase one. There is division within the party regarding the current proposal, and there may not be enough votes to satisfy even a simple majority in the Senate. Many of the key people involved with the bill, including the President himself, have said that the bill is a work in progress and that its creators are open to changes. However, this will be a challenge, especially since they aim to pass the bill this spring. Stay tuned, the next month or so should be interesting.
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Rob is an employee benefits expert with over 25 years of experience. He is the founder and principal of Precision Benefits Group, a leading provider of corporate benefits plans. He is a member of the Philadelphia Business Journal Leadership Trust and regularly contributes to the publication.