House narrowly passes healthcare overhaul

By:  Amy Miller,  Xiro Xone News  May 4, 2017  Updated:  3:33 PM

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Photo: Getty
The Republican health care bill narrowly passed in the House Thursday, delivering a victory for President Donald Trump just six weeks after nearly leaving the measure for dead.

The vote, 217 to 213, held on President Trump’s 105th day in office, is a significant step on what could be a long legislative road. Twenty Republicans bolted from their leadership to vote no.

"This bill delivers on the promises that we have made to the American people," said House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., at the end of an impassioned floor debate. "A lot of us have been waiting seven years to cast this vote … (and) to rescue people from this collapsing law."

President Trump praised Speaker Paul Ryan and house Republicans for passing the bill.

“This is a real plan. This is a great plan,” Trump said, declaring the House vote an “unbelievable victory.”

He added “Premiums are going to come down substantially the deductibles are going to come down. It’s going to be fantastic health care.”

The bill will likely see changes once it hits the Senate, as it stands now, here are five things the bill does:
  • Eliminates Obamacare tax penalties for those who don't buy coverage
  • Includes Medicaid cuts & allows state work requirements for Medicaid recipients
  • Blocks federal payments to Planned Parenthood for one year
  • Changes Obamacare insurance subsidies into tax credits
  • Continues family policies that cover grown children until age 26

Another area of concern is pre-existing conditions. The bill allows states to get federal waivers that would free insurers from other Obamacare coverage requirements. With waivers, insurers could charge people with preexisting conditions higher rates than their peers and raise prices for older consumers.

A last-minute amendment to the measure includes $8 billion over five years to cover such conditions. That amendment helped secure enough votes to narrowly get the measure through the house. 

The bill also hasn’t yet been analyzed by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to determine how many consumers might lose coverage.
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