Rand Paul vs. GOP on Health Care: Who Will Win?

image
Published: 08 Mar, 2017
2 min read

On Monday night, House GOP leaders released a plan to replace the Patient Protection and Affordable Healthcare Act (colloquially known as Obamacare) after lingering speculation and -- at times -- secrecy.

Here are some of the things the new health care bill will reportedly do:

  • Replace federal subsidies with a new form of tax credits.and grants for states to implement their own policies.
  • The federal government may not penalize taxpayers for not having health insurance, but it will allow health insurance companies to charge people a surcharge for a gap in coverage.
  • It keeps two provisions in ACA: Young people can stay on their parents' health care plan until 26, and health insurance companies cannot deny people coverage for pre-existing conditions.
  • Planned Parenthood would be ineligible for Medicaid reimbursements or federal grants. Planned Parenthood currently receives about $500 million in Medicaid reimbursement for providing a variety of medical services for women.

And the House's initial efforts seemed to have the president's support:

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/839086723552411648

However, the Republican Party is divided on Capitol Hill over the new health care bill. Many Republicans, including U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, call the new plan "Obamacare lite," and spent much of Tuesday bashing the bill.

https://twitter.com/RandPaul/status/839144449728983041

Paul, who has been the most outspoken critic of the House leadership's plan to renovate the ACA, explained his concerns and his own plan to repeal and replace Obamacare on MSNBC's Morning Joe:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlHgDM3rQGM

Sen. Paul has long attempted to take the lead on #RepealandReplace. He came out with his plan ahead of the House leadership. He demanded last week to see what he called a secret plan House Republicans were keeping "under lock & key." Now, he is leading the conservative opposition against the new health care bill.

IVP Donate

And Paul may ultimately be the one who holds all the keys in the GOP's efforts to replace the ACA. Just hours after President Trump tweeted out his confidence in the new health care bill, he gave Paul a shoutout:

https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/839268048313929729

The debate over repealing and replacing Obamacare will continue, and it appears the biggest hurdle Republicans must clear continues to be securing a more united front from their own members. One thing seems clear, the debate on Capitol Hill appears far from over.

Photo Credit: Rich Koele / shutterstock.com

You Might Also Like

Ballrooms, Ballots, and a Three-Way Fight for New York
Ballrooms, Ballots, and a Three-Way Fight for New York
The latest Independent Voter Podcast episode takes listeners through the messy intersections of politics, reform, and public perception. Chad and Cara open with the irony of partisan outrage over trivial issues like a White House ballroom while overlooking the deeper dysfunctions in our democracy. From California to Maine, they unpack how the very words on a ballot can tilt entire elections and how both major parties manipulate language and process to maintain power....
30 Oct, 2025
-
1 min read
California Prop 50 gets an F
Princeton Gerrymandering Project Gives California Prop 50 an 'F'
The special election for California Prop 50 wraps up November 4 and recent polling shows the odds strongly favor its passage. The measure suspends the state’s independent congressional map for a legislative gerrymander that Princeton grades as one of the worst in the nation....
30 Oct, 2025
-
3 min read
bucking party on gerrymandering
5 Politicians Bucking Their Party on Gerrymandering
Across the country, both parties are weighing whether to redraw congressional maps ahead of the 2026 midterm elections. Texas, California, Missouri, North Carolina, Utah, Indiana, Colorado, Illinois, and Virginia are all in various stages of the action. Here are five politicians who have declined to support redistricting efforts promoted by their own parties....
31 Oct, 2025
-
4 min read