Republicans unveil Obamacare replacement bill in Senate, faces uncertain fate
Republicans in the US Senate have unveiled a bill proposing to replace Obamacare with a healthcare plan that cuts aid to the poor and ends tax on the wealthy. US President Donald Trump, who made replacing Obamacare a signature campaign promise, welcomed the bill but indicated it may need changes. The contentious bill faces opposition by all Democratic and some Republican lawmakers.
What the Senate bill entails
The Senate Republican proposal would eliminate crucial tenets of former President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare. The proposal will reduce funding for women's reproductive health provider Planned Parenthood and significantly cut and restructure Medicaid, a program that provides health insurance to low-income and disabled Americans. An expected 23 million Americans will lose health insurance under the proposed bill.
Bill faces uncertain fate after 4 Republicans express opposition
However, the bill faces an uncertain fate after four Republican lawmakers said they can't support it in its current form. With Democrats outright opposing the bill, Republicans are short of minimum 50 votes needed to pass the bill.
Bill unveiled by Senate Republicans very unpopular among public
Democrats attacked the proposed legislation as it would leave millions without insurance coverage. Less than one in three Americans support the proposed Republican bill, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll. Republicans will face challenges in convincing citizens about the bill, given its overwhelming unpopularity. The four Republican senators who oppose the bill in its current form said it doesn't go far enough to repeal Obamacare.
Obama calls Republicans bill 'wealth transfer from poor to rich'
In a rare intervention, Obama wrote a Facebook post defending Obamacare. He urged Republicans to place people before politics. Obama warned the bill would raise costs, reduce insurance coverage and ruin Medicaid. He wrote: "The Senate bill, unveiled today, is not a health care bill. It's a massive transfer of wealth from middle-class and poor families to the richest people in America."
