More American voices are speaking against the Obamacare repeal legislation being pushed by the GOP. The latest voices to oppose the Better Care Reconciliation Act of President Donald Trump are the American Medical Association and investment guru Warren Buffett.
In a letter to Senate leaders, Dr. James Madara, CEO of the American Medical Association, said the draft legislation violates on many levels the precept of “Primum non nocere” or “first, do no harm” under which medicine has long operated. Madara told Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer the AMA favors reforms to ensure people with health insurance would not lose their coverage.
Medicaid funding based on enrollment
Madara said AMA is concerned over the proposal to change the present federal funding for Medicaid with block grants to states based on enrollment. He explained per head caps do not consider costs of new medical innovations or the fiscal impact of public health epidemics on costs that are not anticipated. He also expressed concern over the ban on individuals from using at Planned Parenthood their Medicaid coverage, Time reported.
For investment guru Warren Buffett, the Republican-sponsored bill’s alternative purpose is to help people who are already rich become wealthier. He told PBS NewsHour on Tuesday the GOP health care bill should be called instead the “Relief for the Rich Act,” Fortune reported.
He estimated based on his 2016 income tax return and the House version of the legislation approved by 217 lawmakers, that he would save $679,999 or almost 17 percent of this tax bill. The Tax Policy Center, meanwhile, in an analysis of the Senate bill, which repeals several Obamacare taxes, discovered 50 percent of the benefits from the tax cuts would benefit the top 1 percent of households since their average tax bill would go down by $37,240.
Survey says only 17 percent of Americans back Senate version of the bill
Given these shortcomings of the Obamacare repeal bill, most Americans are against the legislation. The New York Daily News reported an NPR/PBS Newshour/Marist poll released on Wednesday found only 17 percent of survey respondents supported the Republican health care bill.
On the 1,205 people surveyed, 55 percent disapprove the bill, while 25 percent lack sufficient information to form an opinion on the issue.
For the Senate legislation to pass, the GOP must get 50 votes, however, six Republican senators are not voting along party lines. On Wednesday, Trump had an opportunity to sell the bill on live prime-time TV coverage, but Time noted the president blew his chance again 15 minutes into his speech by going off message wildly.
