And so President Trump's first 100 days ended with a cliffhanger in the Trumpcare saga: Will they or won't they take health insurance away from Americans who need it the most? On Tuesday, Congressman Tom MacArthur of New Jersey floated an amendment to resuscitate the once left for dead American Health Care Act, a plan that was so indifferent to human life that even Republicans who had all but sworn a blood oath to repeal Obamacare were against it. Republicans postponed a vote on the bill late Thursday night after it was clear they didn't yet have enough support.But MacArthur's amendment dangles in front of Republicans two things they've longed for: the flexibility of states to raise costs for people with pre-existing conditions (while not outright denying them coverage so as to preserve their golly gee whaddya mean deniability) and the ability for states to skimp or totally gut the ten essential health benefits, which include prescription drugs and emergency services, that Obamacare (or the Affordable Care Act) requires insurers in the marketplace and small employers to cover.One of the essential health benefits that's come most heavily under attack is, of all things, maternity care—and even without an Obamacare repeal, Trump and the GOP can dismantle it through regulatory changes that require zero votes, which would punish the very voters who put them in office.Continue reading on Tonic.
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