Better Care

‘The Senate Bill … Exactly The Kind Of Cuts To The Welfare State That Conservatives Have Consistently Failed To Achieve’

AVIK ROY: “Finished reading the Senate HC bill. Put simply: If it passes, it’ll be the greatest policy achievement by a GOP Congress in my lifetime.” (Avik Roy, @Avik, Twitter, 6/22/2017)

MAX EHRENFREUND: “Throughout the modern history of Congress, lawmakers have inexorably expanded progressive social policies, and while conservatives have successfully forestalled expansions to the social safety net, they've had very little success in reversing them. Right now, however, Republicans have a chance to buck that trend, as they prepare legislation aimed at repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.” (“Republicans’ Obamacare Repeal…,” The Washington Post, 6/22/2017)

• “The Senate bill released on Thursday… would be exactly the kind of cuts to the welfare state that conservatives have consistently failed to achieve. … would bring down taxes, eliminate hundreds of billions of dollars in outlays on the social safety net and curtail the federal government's involvement in a crucial sector of the economy.” (“Republicans’ Obamacare Repeal…,” The Washington Post, 6/22/2017)

U.S. CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: “The Senate health care bill will help to stabilize crumbling insurance markets caused by the Affordable Care Act, work to curb runaway premium increases, and jettison ill-conceived Washington mandates and taxes that have weighed heavily on our economy. This is an extremely important step in putting doctors and patients ahead of politicians when it comes to American health care. This bill appears to strike an important balance between providing ample attention to the much needed safety net for underserved communities without putting Washington in charge of health care. We have long sought this type of balanced solution that doesn’t jeopardize employer sponsored coverage, while seeking affordable access for all Americans. The Senate’s approach appears to do just that. We know that Obamacare is dangerously close to collapse as millions of Americans are left with fewer and fewer options for health insurance and urge Senators to move forward and ultimately pass this legislation without delay.” (U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Press Release, 6/22/2017)

ELIZABETH McKEE, Americans For Tax Reform: “The Senate healthcare bill cuts taxes for millions of middle-income families … Obamacare's taxes deprive working families and businesses of their hard-earned income. The Senate's Obamacare repeal bill abolishes these taxes and returns much-needed purchasing power to taxpayers.” (Elizabeth McKee, Op-Ed, “The Senate Healthcare Bill Cuts Taxes For Millions Of Middle-Income Families,” Washington Examiner, 6/22//2017)

AMERICANS FOR TAX REFORM: “The Senate’s Obamacare repeal bill abolishes the many middle class taxes that were imposed by President Obama and the Democrat party in 2010. Obama promised repeatedly that he would never raise any form of tax on any household making less than $250,000 per year. He lied. Although you’ll never hear it from the establishment media, the Senate’s Obamacare repeal bill:

-Abolishes the Obamacare Individual Mandate Tax which hits 8 million Americans each year.

-Abolishes the Obamacare Employer Mandate Tax.

-Abolishes Obamacare’s Medicine Cabinet Tax which hits the 20 million Americans with Health Savings Accounts and the 30 million Americans with Flexible Spending Accounts.

-Abolishes Obamacare’s Flexible Spending Account tax on 30 million Americans.

-Abolishes Obamacare’s Chronic Care Tax on 10 million Americans with high out of pocket medical expenses. This Obamacare tax imposed higher income taxes on households making an average of $53,000 per year.

-Abolishes Obamacare’s HSA withdrawal tax.

-Abolishes Obamacare’s 10% excise tax on small businesses with indoor tanning services.

-Abolishes the Obamacare health insurance tax.

-Abolishes the Obamacare 3.8% surtax on investment income.

-Abolishes the Obamacare medical device tax.

-Abolishes the Obamacare tax on prescription medicine.

-Abolishes the Obamacare tax on retiree prescription drug coverage.” (Americans For Tax Reform, Press Statement, 6/22/2017)

BRANDON ARNOLD, National Taxpayers Union: “The Senate’s recently unveiled “Better Care Reconciliation Act” represents yet another critical step toward repealing Obamacare and replacing it with a market-based approach to health care. The bill wisely scraps nearly all of Obamacare’s onerous taxes on individuals, families, and businesses. It provides states with additional flexibility to opt out of the current regulatory framework that is causing premiums to skyrocket. And it makes structural reforms to the Medicaid program that will encourage innovative approaches to providing care to the neediest Americans. While some will inevitably dwell on the bill’s imperfections, and those flaws do exist, it’s important to look at the bigger picture: if Congress wants to repeal Obamacare, it is absolutely imperative for the Senate to pass the Better Care Reconciliation Act and continue that process.” (National Taxpayers Union, Press Release, 6/22/2017)