Rep. Tom Price (R-GA), who took over for Congressman Paul Ryan as head of the House Budget Committee, unveiled this week a plan to replace Obamacare. The plan hopes to avoid the so-called ‘death spiral’ should the Supreme Court choose to void the subsidy program, the Washington Examiner’s Philip Klein reports.
The plan is an upgrade of the Empowering Patients First Act, which the House proposed in the last session. The measure seeks to improve patient care with tax credits and reforms by expanding access to insurance options and reducing the costs of health care, Klein explains. However, he indicates the bill has a tough road a head:
“Price’s plan is likely to come under criticism from both the Left and the Right. Liberals will argue that the replacement plan won’t cover enough people and would eliminate protections, such as for individuals with pre-existing conditions, that would leave millions more vulnerable.
Conservatives are likely to argue that even though it repeals Obamacare, it cedes too much ground to the Left.”
Pressure from the impending Court decision, expected as early as next month, has fueled Republican efforts that demonstrate Obamacare is not the only solution for regulation the healthcare market.
What’s more, the 2016 election, which all of the House and over a third of the Senate are up, will feature renewed debate on a better solution as Obamacare continues to languish in disapproval among national polls.
