Trumpcare takes from the poor to give to the rich? The white whale of American politics is health care and as such President Trump is treading on dangerous grounds. The proposed Bill is set to roll back healthcare coverage for millions of Americans if it were to be passed in Senate. The Democrats, on the other hand, are determined to make sure that the proposed Act does make it through Senate.
The bill in current form
Trumpcare has elicited a lot of mixed reactions from many people, most of who are opposed to it. Conservative Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky has said that he will not support the bill in its current form and would only be willing to support a partial rollback of Obamacare.
The current law has a provision for cost assistance that is aimed at assisting low-income earners to get medical coverage. Under the proposed bill, the people that would qualify for Tax Credits are those that make more than 350 percent of the FPL. This bill is a sharp decline as Obamacare cuts medical care aid at 400 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL).
Reduced tax credits
The bill proposes that tax credits reduce as one gets older. This bill is very troublesome to old people as this implies the older folks in the society will be spending a larger chunk of their hard earned money on paying for medical insurance covers, compared to younger people. Under the Senate bill, insurers will be capable of lowering the total proportion of medical care they pay for.
$2 billion grant
However, there is one provision that is set to tackle the opioid epidemic. The provision states that there is a grant of $2 billion that will be administered to distinct states that require assistance in coming up with programs to tackle the burgeoning opioid crisis. This provision will be popular in those states struggling with drug-related problems.
A controversial provision in the bill, however, restricts the use of any financing from the proposed legislation to procure the abortion. The bill also bans any use of the money from the Act To Finance workers who oversee abortion at any level. In layman terms, the bill is set to defund Planned Parenthood.
Obama's response
Obama has strongly opposed the Senate bill terming it as a massive transfer of wealth from the poor to the richest families in America. Democrats have vowed to defend the current law that has allowed more than 20 to access medical coverage and is a pillar of Obama’s legacy.
